On April 29, 2021, we received at the Santa Maria’s RAEGE Station, Ana Paula Braga, a reporter from local radio “Clube Asas do Atlântico”.
With the aim of showing the listeners of the local radio what is best done in Santa Maria Island, Ana Paula visited the RAEGE facilities where she took a guided tour and met all the team members.
The guided tour by the Station's director, João Salmim Ferreira, was based on a detailed explanation of the importance of a Fundamental Geodesic Station for the local and international community. Throughout the interview, he mentions that “there is some lack of knowledge” on these topics because they are “restricted areas and very reserved for some people, but we want to change that“.
Topics such as the importance of the creation of RAEGE-Az (RAEGE Azores Association) in the provision of public service are presented “It makes no sense to have an infrastructure like this, which is unique not only nationally but also worldwide, here in Santa Maria without that locals, in some way, can’t understand what is being done here and feel proud“, referring to science communication as a declared mission of RAEGE-Az.
It is during the interview with Ana Paula Braga that João Salmim mentions the importance of RAEGE-Az in the creation of qualified employment in Santa Maria for the locals but, also, the investment in qualified human resources from other parts of Portugal and the world. The Santa Maria team, made up of 8 members until then, is proud to maintain that balance, 4 from Santa Maria Island and 4 from other parts of Portugal and the world.
When asked about the worldwide projection of Santa Maria’s RAEGE Station, João Salmim Ferreira states that “Santa Maria Station is spoken at an international level without the locals realizing it, it is spoken at NASA, or in Japan, Norway, in Germany, every day” this is because the data collected at Santa Maria Station are effectively relevant not only nationally but internationally.
Full interview here.
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