Ciena donates equipment to Inatel, Brazil’s National Institute of Telecommunications, to give students the opportunity for hands-on learning as they pursue their engineering degrees.
To bring connectivity to people around the world, Ciena depends on teams of brilliant engineers to push boundaries and innovate for the future. A comprehensive, hands-on education is crucial for keeping engineers at the forefront of technology and ensure that network operators are getting the best possible products and services. That’s why, when Decio Coraca, Director of Sales Engineering based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, found he had some extra equipment on his hands, the idea to donate it to a local educational institution seemed like the perfect solution.
Inspiration strikes two Inatel alumni
As some of our offices and teams globally were going through the process of pivoting to a flexible working environment, some technology in Sao Paulo was no longer needed on site. It had been previously used for training and to demonstrate the capabilities of our technology to customers, but now needed a new home.
Decio and several of his colleagues discussed what should be done with the equipment. The question eventually reached Luis Nunes, Senior Director of Global Business Planning and Analytics at Ciena and Gabriel Damasceno an early in career sales engineer participating in Ciena's Technical Sales Development Program. Both Luis and Gabriel were based in Alpharetta, Georgia, USA and shared a connection as alumni of Inatel, Brazil’s National Institute of Telecommunications.
At the time, Gabriel had recently graduated from Inatel’s telecommunications engineering program and was just starting his career at Ciena. Drawing inspiration from his academic roots, Gabriel proposed an idea: why not donate the equipment to Inatel? Luis, who knew from his own experience at Inatel how impactful such a donation would be, saw potential in the proposal. Together, they collaborated with the Brazilian team to turn this idea into reality, strengthening Ciena’s ties with the institution and supporting the next generation of telecom professionals.
Ciena presents a plaque to Inatel describing the donation for display in the lab
How does this donation help students?
As a student, Gabriel and his class were educated on the latest insights in the field, but they did not have any fibre optic connection to practice working with in the lab. With the donation of Ciena technology, students at Inatel can work with technology relevant to their education and the industry, which reflects the kind of technology they will encounter in the workplace.
Now, students have access to Ciena’s equipment. They can learn the most up to date protocols and learn using devices with fiber optic connection.
With the addition of this technology, students will now be able to explore applications involving Ethernet and IP research such as ethernet LAN networks and layer 2 and layer 3 packet transport networks, allowing them to practice work on applications including mobile, cloud, wholesale, business, and residential networks.
Other organizations also provide equipment to Inatel's lab facilities, but maybe not focusing on routing and switching. So our initiative could complement what they already have—it would be a very good fit for them and for us.
Decio notes that the primary benefit of this donation is the difference it makes in the lives of local students. He says that “assisting the community, providing the means for learning, and building knowledge” were top of mind throughout the process of transferring the equipment to Inatel.
Supporting STEM education and environmental sustainability
Increasing access to the technology required by students to learn digital skills is an ongoing priority for Ciena. With our Digital Inclusion program, we provide grants to charitable organization around the world who are working to close the digital divide for students.
In the case of Inatel, Ciena is lucky to be able to provide educational support for many of the very students who will go on to become Ciena employees, like Gabriel. And many of those who do not join Ciena, will go on to work with our customers, suppliers, partners, and other industry organizations with whom we enjoy a close relationship.
Since its foundation, Inatel has always sought excellent interaction with the technology sector. That is precisely what is happening now with Ciena. What Ciena has implemented at Inatel provides for students, from engineering and extension and training courses, an opportunity to position themselves educationally in a way that stands out both in Brazil and globally.
This donation also aligns with Ciena’s environmental sustainability values by finding a new use for this technology. And by choosing to donate to a local organization, we’re saving emissions by eliminating the need to ship the equipment to another location to be decommissioned.
Representatives from Ciena and Inatel at the opening event for the lab that hosts the donated Ciena equipment
Advancing knowledge into the future
In addition to the technology itself, Gabriel developed a detailed instructional handbook which provides guidance on how the students can learn as much as possible from the equipment. The book brings together practical knowledge about the operations of the equipment with theoretical backing, to help provide the most in-depth understanding while students are learning in the lab.
The benefit of this donation reaches far beyond just Ciena and Inatel. With this new equipment and Gabriel’s instructional book, students and faculty at the educational institution can also conduct boundary-pushing research that advances knowledge and technology for all of us.
As of November 2024, students have begun learning on Ciena equipment, and just 18 months from this point, the first graduates trained on this donated technology will be entering the workforce. If you’d like to join a team that works with cutting-edge technology and values access to digital education, explore our open roles and apply today.