In 1981, scientists Henry Willcox and Moacélio Veranio helped to consolidate, at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz), a technical training proposal that would span decades, impacting laboratories, collections, classrooms, and research routines across multiple generations of professionals.
Forty-five years later, this legacy was celebrated in a ceremony that brought together students, faculty, staff, and alumni to honor the history of the Technical Courses at [Institution Name]. IOC.
The celebration took place on Wednesday (February 11th) at the Emmanuel Dias Auditorium, F campus.iocruz, in Manguinhos (RJ), and reinforced the role of technical training in preparing professionals who contribute directly to scientific production and to strengthening the Unified Health System (SUS).
Created to train professionals capable of working in laboratory and field activities, the Technical Courses of IOC They integrate theoretical and practical training in areas such as Biotechnology and Parasitic Biology and related fields.
The program prepares students for research routines, quality control, technological development, and support for scientific activities.
With a full auditorium and a reunion atmosphere, the program included an institutional panel, a roundtable discussion with different generations of alumni, a formal tribute session, and the awarding of the Chico Trombone Medal, dedicated to technical merit in Science and Technology.
The opening panel included the director of... IOCTania Araujo-Jorge, and the coordinator of the Technical Courses, Paulo Stephens, as well as the vice-president of Education, Information and Communication of FiocRuz, Marly Cruz, and the Foundation's Vice President of Research and Biological Collections, Alda Maria da Cruz.
In his opening remarks, Paulo emphasized the collective nature of the course's development, thanking the alumni and all the professionals who support the initiative.
“This 45-year history is a collective achievement. You built this course. It is a great source of pride to see this auditorium full and your joy,” he stated.
In her address to the audience, Tania connected the 45th anniversary of the Technical Courses to the celebrations of the Institute's 125th anniversary, highlighting the continuity between education, research, and social commitment that marks the Institute's trajectory.
The director also pointed to a central challenge: ensuring conditions for professional integration and appreciation of technical work, defending the need for competitive exams and dignified employment contracts for technicians in laboratories, platforms, and collections — areas that, according to her, depend directly on this workforce.
The human dimension of this journey was highlighted in the discussion panel 'Past, Present and Future', moderated by professors Dario Kalume and Teresa Fernandes.
Aiming to construct a timeline of the Technical Courses based on the trajectories of graduates from different generations — with representatives from the classes of 1981, 1986, 2020, and 2025 — the activity highlighted how the training connected to changes in science, public health, and the institution itself over 45 years.
From the initial discovery of science to the return to laboratories during the pandemic, the accounts revealed journeys marked by challenges, overcoming obstacles, and perseverance.
For Noêmia Rodrigues, a technician at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and a graduate of the class of 1986, her first contact with microscopy was decisive in defining her professional path.
"When I saw a slide under a microscope for the first time, I knew that was what I wanted to do with my life," she said, her voice filled with emotion.
Coming from a low-income family in the West Zone of Rio, Noêmia said that she arrived at IOC without knowing the routine of a research laboratory. The experience in the technical course opened up a previously distant universe, leading her to build a career spanning more than four decades in the biomedical field, working in electron microscopy, teaching and, more recently, in high-tech multi-user platforms.
The dialogue also brought the perspective of more recent generations. Daiane de Oliveira da Silva, from the class of 2020, recalled the impacts of the pandemic on her education — marked by the abrupt transition to remote activities — and highlighted how the course broadened her sense of social responsibility by putting scientific knowledge at the service of collective care.
Although he did not work directly on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic, he reported that, at the time, he shared information about prevention and biosecurity with family and friends, helping to combat misinformation around him.
“If I have access to information, I have to spread that information somehow. Every time I had the opportunity to demystify certain things, whether with my family or my friends, I did it,” he said.
After graduating, Dayane worked as a technician in a laboratory and in a clinic, and currently dedicates herself to preparing for competitive exams in the scientific field.
If the speeches from the graduates highlighted the impact of the course on the lives of its students, the following panel turned its attention to those who helped consolidate this trajectory within the institution.
During the solemn ceremony honoring six people, they received the commemorative medal for the 125th anniversary of... IOCin recognition of their contributions to consolidating technical training at the Institute. Among those honored were Henry Willcox and Moacélio Veranio, who were represented by family members during the ceremony.
In the final stage of the event, seven professionals from the Institute were awarded the Chico Trombone Medal, created by decision of the Deliberative Council to recognize the merit in Science and Technology of the institution's technicians.
The award is named after Francisco José Rodrigues Gomes, known as Chico Trombone, who dedicated more than five decades to the Institute and became a symbol of the essential work of those who sustain scientific production in laboratories on a daily basis.
The following were honored:
• Selma Quintela Soares;
• Iolanda Deolinda de Souza;
• Jalusy Maria Bezerra de Almeida;
• Deyse Paganotti;
• Julius Caesar Michael;
• Genesio Lopes de Faria;
• André de Figueiredo Barbosa.
See the photo gallery of the event below.
In 1981, scientists Henry Willcox and Moacélio Veranio helped to consolidate, at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz), a technical training proposal that would span decades, impacting laboratories, collections, classrooms, and research routines across multiple generations of professionals.
Forty-five years later, this legacy was celebrated in a ceremony that brought together students, faculty, staff, and alumni to honor the history of the Technical Courses at [Institution Name]. IOC.
The celebration took place on Wednesday (February 11th) at the Emmanuel Dias Auditorium, F campus.iocruz, in Manguinhos (RJ), and reinforced the role of technical training in preparing professionals who contribute directly to scientific production and to strengthening the Unified Health System (SUS).
Created to train professionals capable of working in laboratory and field activities, the Technical Courses of IOC They integrate theoretical and practical training in areas such as Biotechnology and Parasitic Biology and related fields.
The program prepares students for research routines, quality control, technological development, and support for scientific activities.
With a full auditorium and a reunion atmosphere, the program included an institutional panel, a roundtable discussion with different generations of alumni, a formal tribute session, and the awarding of the Chico Trombone Medal, dedicated to technical merit in Science and Technology.
The opening panel included the director of... IOCTania Araujo-Jorge, and the coordinator of the Technical Courses, Paulo Stephens, as well as the vice-president of Education, Information and Communication of FiocRuz, Marly Cruz, and the Foundation's Vice President of Research and Biological Collections, Alda Maria da Cruz.
In his opening remarks, Paulo emphasized the collective nature of the course's development, thanking the alumni and all the professionals who support the initiative.
“This 45-year history is a collective achievement. You built this course. It is a great source of pride to see this auditorium full and your joy,” he stated.
In her address to the audience, Tania connected the 45th anniversary of the Technical Courses to the celebrations of the Institute's 125th anniversary, highlighting the continuity between education, research, and social commitment that marks the Institute's trajectory.
The director also pointed to a central challenge: ensuring conditions for professional integration and appreciation of technical work, defending the need for competitive exams and dignified employment contracts for technicians in laboratories, platforms, and collections — areas that, according to her, depend directly on this workforce.
The human dimension of this journey was highlighted in the discussion panel 'Past, Present and Future', moderated by professors Dario Kalume and Teresa Fernandes.
Aiming to construct a timeline of the Technical Courses based on the trajectories of graduates from different generations — with representatives from the classes of 1981, 1986, 2020, and 2025 — the activity highlighted how the training connected to changes in science, public health, and the institution itself over 45 years.
From the initial discovery of science to the return to laboratories during the pandemic, the accounts revealed journeys marked by challenges, overcoming obstacles, and perseverance.
For Noêmia Rodrigues, a technician at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and a graduate of the class of 1986, her first contact with microscopy was decisive in defining her professional path.
"When I saw a slide under a microscope for the first time, I knew that was what I wanted to do with my life," she said, her voice filled with emotion.
Coming from a low-income family in the West Zone of Rio, Noêmia said that she arrived at IOC without knowing the routine of a research laboratory. The experience in the technical course opened up a previously distant universe, leading her to build a career spanning more than four decades in the biomedical field, working in electron microscopy, teaching and, more recently, in high-tech multi-user platforms.
The dialogue also brought the perspective of more recent generations. Daiane de Oliveira da Silva, from the class of 2020, recalled the impacts of the pandemic on her education — marked by the abrupt transition to remote activities — and highlighted how the course broadened her sense of social responsibility by putting scientific knowledge at the service of collective care.
Although he did not work directly on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic, he reported that, at the time, he shared information about prevention and biosecurity with family and friends, helping to combat misinformation around him.
“If I have access to information, I have to spread that information somehow. Every time I had the opportunity to demystify certain things, whether with my family or my friends, I did it,” he said.
After graduating, Dayane worked as a technician in a laboratory and in a clinic, and currently dedicates herself to preparing for competitive exams in the scientific field.
If the speeches from the graduates highlighted the impact of the course on the lives of its students, the following panel turned its attention to those who helped consolidate this trajectory within the institution.
During the solemn ceremony honoring six people, they received the commemorative medal for the 125th anniversary of... IOCin recognition of their contributions to consolidating technical training at the Institute. Among those honored were Henry Willcox and Moacélio Veranio, who were represented by family members during the ceremony.
In the final stage of the event, seven professionals from the Institute were awarded the Chico Trombone Medal, created by decision of the Deliberative Council to recognize the merit in Science and Technology of the institution's technicians.
The award is named after Francisco José Rodrigues Gomes, known as Chico Trombone, who dedicated more than five decades to the Institute and became a symbol of the essential work of those who sustain scientific production in laboratories on a daily basis.
The following were honored:
• Selma Quintela Soares;
• Iolanda Deolinda de Souza;
• Jalusy Maria Bezerra de Almeida;
• Deyse Paganotti;
• Julius Caesar Michael;
• Genesio Lopes de Faria;
• André de Figueiredo Barbosa.
See the photo gallery of the event below.
Click here to download the entire gallery
The non-profit reproduction of the text is allowed as long as the source is cited (Comunicação / Instituto Oswaldo Cruz)
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