Simone Kresevic, a PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering group at the Department of Engineering and Architecture, won two prestigious awards at the EU TalentOn 2024, held in Katowice, Poland. His project ‘Breath for Life’ not only won first place in the ‘Prevention and Treatment of Cancer’ category, but further distinguished itself by winning the final Grand Prize in all categories of the competition.

The project proposes an innovative device for the early diagnosis of cancer using a system based on innovative sensor technology and Artificial Intelligence-based analysis. The project stood out in terms of its scientific creativity, feasibility and practical impact. 

The EU TalentOn is a competition promoted by the European Commission as part of the Horizon Europe programme involving young researchers aged between 21 and 35 from all over Europe. Out of more than 1,200 applications, 108 participants were selected, divided into interdisciplinary teams to develop innovative solutions related to the five European Missions: climate change adaptation, cancer prevention and treatment, ocean and water restoration, zero-emission smart cities and sustainable soil management. 

Biomedical Engineering PhD student Francesco Bassi was also selected from our University.

https://eutalenton2024.eu/

https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/news/all-research-and-innovation-news/discover-winners-eu-contest-young-scientists-and-eu-talenton-2024-09-13_en

Photo - Simone Kresevic with his two teammates during project preparation

‘Friuli-Venezia Giulia is often referred to as ‘the Australia of Italy’ due to the high rate of melanomas linked to environmental factors,’ began Professor Iris Zalaudek, a regular lecturer and director of the Dermatology Clinic at the University of Trieste, during the presentation of the ‘Watch out for the sun! Good practices for staying healthy while outdoors’.

The initiative, promoted by Fondosviluppo FVG and conducted in collaboration with the Immaginario Scientifico Science Musem, with the patronage of the University of Trieste and the University of Udine, is aimed at more than 10,000 students in the second year classes of secondary schools in the region, and aims to raise awareness among young people on the importance of preventing skin diseases.

Through a series of interactive workshops, the youngsters will learn how to protect themselves from UV radiation and gain awareness of the risks associated with sun exposure. Specifically, the educational approach is divided into four modules that, starting with cells, will allow students to explore the human body, with a special focus on the skin. Among the proposed activities, one of the practical experiments will offer a visual demonstration of the impact of UV rays, highlighting the importance of using sun cream for proper protection.

Unlike other preventive programmes, ‘Watch out for the sun!’ is not based on bans or strict rules, but aims to stimulate applied knowledge, promoting a conscious change in the daily habits of young people who will be able to adopt healthier and more responsible behaviour.

Thanks to this project, the University of Trieste renews its commitment to spreading a culture of prevention, educating the new generations to take care of their health from a young age.

For those interested in learning more about this topic, please visit the following links:

Subjects at risk: Melanoma in breve

The Sun's risks: AIRC - I rischi del sole

The presentation of the project ‘Beyond White with Chromotherapy’, made possible thanks to the collaboration between the ASUGI (healthcare services of the Trieste and Gorizia provinces), the University of Trieste and the Work Integration Service (SIIL) of the Municipality of Trieste, was held in the spaces of the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Odontostomatology of the Maggiore Hospital of Trieste.

At the end of the ‘Digital Illustration Techniques’ regional training course, four young people with autism spectrum disorders, selected for their creative talent, had the opportunity to participate in social inclusion internships, financed by the Municipality of Trieste, which took place between February 2023 and January 2024.

During this period, the four young people worked decorating the interior spaces of the Department with a series of paintings entitled ‘The Adventures of Peter Canine’, inspired by J. M. Barrie's famous character, Peter Pan, and reinterpreted in a comic strip story dealing with the theme of prevention and laughter being the best medicine.

The University of Trieste supported the initiative by producing and publishing a volume collecting all the panels created by the children. The publication, entitled ‘Le avventure di Peter Canin’ (The Adventures of Peter Canine), represents an important contribution to the promotion of social inclusion and the talent of the young people involved and is available free of charge on Le avventure di Peter Canin (in Italian)

The project not only spruced up the interior spaces of the department, but had a profound impact on the lives of the young participants, contributing to their personal and professional growth. The wall decorations and the book that was produced are now an asset appreciated by patients, healthcare staff and the community, offering a strong message on the importance of inclusion and creativity.

Tiziano Agostini, Professor of General Psychology at the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Trieste, received the prestigious Wolfgang Metzger Prize during the opening ceremony of the 23rd Scientific Conference of the Society for Gestalt Theory and its Applications (GTA), held at the University of Milan-Bicocca. The award was presented to him for the book ‘Showing Time: Continuous Pictorial Narrative and the Adam and Eve Story - In Memory of Alberto Argenton’, of which he is co-author.

The prize, named after the German psychologist Wolfgang Metzger, is awarded to those who have significantly contributed to the research and application of Gestalt Theory. Gestalt is an interdisciplinary approach that sees the human being as an open system in constant interaction with its environment. It focuses on how we perceive the whole of an experience or phenomenon, rather than its individual parts, emphasising the importance of global perceptual structures. In a nutshell, what we perceive is not a sum of elements, but simply a synthesis of reality.

For Professor Agostini, this award represents not only a personal accolade, but also an important achievement for the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Trieste. This is the second time that the Metzger Prize has been awarded to a lecturer at the University of Trieste: the first to receive it was Gaetano Kanizsa, founder of the Experimental Psychology Laboratory in Trieste, together with Riccardo Luccio in 1987.

With the awarding of Tiziano Agostini, the University of Trieste reaffirms its leading role on the international academic scene, continuing its tradition of excellence in research on the psychology of perception and experience..

Trieste NEXT 2024 has officially begun. Over the weekend of 27th - 29th September, the festival of scientific research will bring thousands of science enthusiasts from all over Italy and abroad to Trieste.

The 20th edition was inaugurated in Piazza Unità d'Italia by Roberto Di Lenarda, Rector of the University of Trieste and President of the event's Scientific Committee, Nicola Casagli, President of the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS), Maurizio De Blasio, Councillor for Education and Family Policies of the Municipality of Trieste, Antonio Maconi, Director of Trieste Next: Festival of Scientific Research, Caterina Petrillo, President of Area Science Park,

Pierpaolo Roberti, Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Councillor for Local Authorities, Public Function, Security and Immigration and Andrea Romanino, Director of SISSA.

This year's festival is yet again made possible thanks to the invaluable work of the 150 UniTS volunteers who will ensure that visitors enjoy the scheduled events in the best possible way.

Here is the extensive programme offered by the University of Trieste:

Venerdì 27 settembre 

Sabato 28 settembre

Domenica 29 settembre

Queste invece le 10 nuovissime attività interattive che UniTS propone nel suo stand in Piazza Unità:

Stand UniTS Piazza Unità

Il 15 settembre UniTS si illumina di verde per celebrare la Giornata Nazionale SLA, istituita per ricordare il primo sit-in dei malati in Piazza Bocca della Verità a Roma, avvenuto il 18 settembre 2006.

Da allora, ogni anno, tra la metà di settembre e la prima settimana di ottobre, AISLA promuove iniziative in tutta Italia per rinnovare l’attenzione dell’opinione pubblica, delle autorità politiche, sanitarie e socio-assistenziali sui bisogni di cura e assistenza dei malati di Sclerosi Laterale Amiotrofica. 

I fondi raccolti nelle piazze italiane, dove è possibile aderire all’iniziativa “Un contributo versato con gusto”, è fornire aiuti concreti per migliorare la qualità di vita delle persone con SLA e delle loro famiglie. Dal sostegno finanziario per garantire l’assistenza domiciliare continua, al trasporto con mezzi attrezzati, dal supporto ai progetti di vacanze accessibili, fino alla consulenza e il supporto per le pratiche burocratiche, legali e previdenziali.

GIORNATA NAZIONALE SLA 2024

As part of the activities of SiS FVG, the Scientific and Innovation System of Friuli Venezia Giulia, which coordinates 17 regional research and innovation entities, Area Science Park in collaboration with the University of Trieste is promoting for the second year a series of seminars on the topics of intellectual property and the exploitation of research results, making use of the experience of expert speakers in technical and legal aspects from the GLP group.

The initiative, created to disseminate knowledge of intellectual property to students, faculty and researchers at the University, is open to all interested parties.

The seminars will be held at the UniTS CLab, 40 F. Severo Street (Former Military Hospital), in Trieste.

Participation in the seminars is free of charge, after registering at the following link   

PROGRAM:

• Module 1 - Overview of Intellectual Property Rights - Patent Focus

  September 26, 2024 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

  Speaker: Stefano Ligi

• Module 2 - New discipline of inventions in the academic field (art.65 C.P.I.)

  October 9, 2024 from 16:00 to 18:00 hours

  Speaker: Lorenzo Fabro

• Module 3 – NDA e Licensing

      October 14, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

      Speaker: Lawyer Erika Poletti

• Module 4 - Copyright e Creative Commons

      November 13, 2024 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

      Speaker: Lawyer Carmela Barilà

For information:  clab@units.it 

The ‘Mille e una Vela Cup’ (thousand and one sails cup) university trophy will be held in Trieste from 25th to 29th September, with the UniTS AUDACE team among the participants with its three boats ‘Lina’, ‘Dedalo’ and ‘Bai - Lina Rossa’.

The University sailing team's laser-focus objective is simple: to consolidate the victories of the previous three editions.

Hosted by the ADRIACO Yacht Club and organised with the cooperation of the University of Trieste in the year of its 100th Anniversary, the international regatta will see sailboats designed, built and sailed by university students.

Only boats made with materials that guarantee a high degree of recyclability and environmental sustainability will be admitted to the competition.

During the three-day regatta, the ‘1001VELAcup’ Challenge Trophy and the ‘Paolo Padova’ Trophy will be awarded. The first is contested with boats designed and built by students and with crews formed exclusively by them. The second features crews formed by a teacher and a student.

The ‘Mainaldo Maneschi Prize’ will also be awarded for the best boat project, combining the evaluation of the competing projects with the results of the regattas.

Seminars and in-depth lectures on design techniques are also planned.

1001 Vela Cup

A journey that followed in the footsteps of the digital revolution, in the place that is the global symbol of technological innovation, of the visionary and courageous creativity of the start-ups that have conquered markets and transformed the world over the last thirty years.

This is the summary of the California Tech Tour undertaken by Silvia De Cleva, Nicandro Alberto di Salvia and Francesco Zamar, the University of Trieste students who won the 2023 edition of the CLab Think Tank.

The stimulating week-long educational experience allowed the three young people to visit institutions and centres of excellence, among the most important and influential places of innovation development and entrepreneurship culture in the world.

The trip, organised by the UniTS Innovation Office, began in San Bernardino at the ESRI-Environmental System Research Institute and the University of Redlands, where they met leading figures from academic governance and the business world. 

Later, in San Francisco, they were welcomed by Consul Sergio Strozzi at the Consulate General of Italy. In the same city, the clabbers got to know the reality of INNOVIT, thanks to a presentation by Director Alberto Acito, who illustrated the possibilities offered to Italian start-ups in the US.

A highlight of the trip was the seminar at the UC Berkeley University Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology, where the UniTS students were able to learn advanced entrepreneurship strategies. 

The trip concluded with a visit to Silicon Valley, where they were given access to Google, one of the companies symbolising the technological revolution and the web economy, and NASA, the world's most important aerospace agency and a leader in technological innovation. 

For our clabbers, it was an exciting experience in an international network of extraordinary dynamism, from which they returned with an injection of knowledge and expertise in business development.

The University of Trieste is currently participating in the EAIE (European Association for International Education) Conference, Europe's most important fair dedicated to international education. The event, which takes place in Toulouse, France, is a meeting point for academic professionals from all over Europe and beyond.

With a dedicated stand, UniTS has the opportunity to strengthen relations with existing partner universities and initiate new international collaborations.

‘EAIE represents a strength and a necessity in the education of the future ruling class. Thanks to various international education programmes students come into contact with different cultures and different countries, strengthening their awareness as citizens of the world. And the strengthening of international education programmes is one of the goals of UniTS!’ These were the words of Prof. Barbara Milani, Deputy Rector for International Relations and Mobility, who attended the event.