Welcome to my WWW page
Pedro Ferraz de Abreu
MIT DUSP Fellow '02 (pfa@mit.edu)
MIT SPURS Fellow '90
MIT CAES Fellow '87
Last updated: November 16, 2006 | => my new page at MIT (2023)
Background
I was born in Lisboa (we call ourselves "alfacinhas", something like "little lettuces"). A Fullbright Fellowship brought me to MIT. I had a lot of fun, first as a CAES Fellow, then at the Media Lab working on artificial intelligence applications in human-computer interface (having the computer trying to adapt to people, instead of people trying to adapt to computers), for my Master degree. As a SPURS Fellow, and then as PhD candidate in Planning, I moved on to the "cream of the cream" of DUSP, that is, the Urban Information Systems research cluster, to work on intelligent multimedia systems in support of public participation in decision making, with focus on planning knowledge representation. My preferred applications are systems for public consultation in environmental impact assessments (my nickname at DUSP is "Pedro Power-to-the-People"), but planners go everywhere (conceptually
speaking), so I did some research on the Bertaud model (low-income
housing), natural resources management (forestry), GIS user needs assessment,
etc. (that is why I'm still here, mind you). I am a founding member of CITIDEP (Research Center on Information Technology and Participatory Democracy), an international non-profit, of the MIT "PIT/RG" (Planning and Information Technology Research Group, http://yerkes.mit.edu/pit/), and of the International Forum of Portuguese Researchers FIIP.
Activities/Interests
My main current activity is teaching at MIT (11.950 e-Planning Seminar and 11.194 Urban Field Experience) together with several R&D&D projects with CITIDEP and MIT - DUSP, with Prof.Joseph Ferreira), including International Conferences. A long time ago I had a life, so for instance I was the first
MIT European Club
"Country Representative" for Portugal.
(I was the only portuguese; I resigned when our numbers doubled). I can't live away from the ocean, and I miss terribly those days when I could swimm most of the year.
Besides my research, I'm interested in many other things, in fact too many...(as everyone keeps telling me): from political issues to scuba diving, from space (serious) research to science fiction, you name it and I'm probably interested. But most of all, I love music: listening, playing, singing, and sharing it with good friends. Here are two samples of guitar music for you: [with Julien] [with Anna].
Other interesting pages at MIT and elsewhere:
International Conference on Public Participation and Information Technologies, 10-12 November 2003, at MIT, Cambridge, USA
e-Planning at MIT (e-Planning consortium)
MIT DUSP CRL (Computer Resource
Lab).
MIT home page.
MIT Student Information Processing Board.
CITIDEP main site (www.citidep.pt ), or english (www.citidep.net).
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Daydreaming at the Charles river, with Boston skyline... while I wait for my friends to send me some email.
MIT since 1986, page up since October 31, 1995
my new page at MIT (2023)
Background
Friends & Photos 
[Research Center on Information Technology and Participatory Democracy]