On the occasion of the first Universities Day, the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, and the Minister of Universities and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, addressed messages of greeting to the academic communities, which today are engaged in the celebrations of the annual event.

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC SERGIO MATTARELLA

I extend my warmest greetings to all participants in the 'Universities Unveiled' event held to celebrate the first National Universities Day, established by the Conference of Italian University Rectors.

'Unveiling Universities' means highlighting the crucial role played by universities in the cultural education of young people and, therefore, in the development of the Republic.

It means strengthening the bonds between centres of culture and research and the community, contributing to the dissemination of knowledge, participation in public life, and reinforcing social cohesion.

It means being able to look to the future.

The promotion of the development of culture and scientific research, a fundamental principle enshrined in the Constitution, finds in the invaluable work of the universities a privileged driver for the growth of human capital, the true strength of the country.

Today, by opening to the public the structures, monumental complexes and museums in which they are located, universities seize the opportunity to showcase their mission, enhancing their very identity.

All universities are to be praised for their work and we wish that they will continue to be, as they have been over the centuries, a factor of cohesion and innovation. 

VIDEO MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER FOR UNIVERSITIES AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ANNA MARIA BERNINI (in Italian) 

INTERREG Italy-Croatia "TransH2" project, in which the Department of Engineering and Architecture (DIA) of the University of Trieste is a partner, has started. It will deal with the use of hydrogen as an energy vector for ship propulsion in maritime traffic in the northern Adriatic Sea.

As part of TransH2, the DIA's operational unit will analyse maritime connections for short-haul travellers, with a focus on mobility and the possible reduced environmental impact of using hydrogen. A number of pilot, interregional and cross-border connections will then be selected, against which different operational solutions for implementing this technology will be evaluated.

Led by the University of Rijeka, Faculty of Maritime Studies, the project involves not only UniTS, but also the Croatian Chamber of Economy, Zadar County Development Agency ZADRA NOVA, Urbanex Ltd., Maritime Technology Cluster FVG S.c.ar.l., Navalprogetti Srl and Start Romagna S.p.A.

In general, TransH2 focuses on the development of innovative solutions for maritime transport, including hydrogen-powered ships and the relevant refuelling infrastructures in ports. This will help to achieve the goal of bringing zero-emission ships to the market by 2030 (envisaged by the European Sustainable Mobility Strategy).

The project's main activities include research and analysis of options for greener maritime transport links, through the introduction of hydrogen transport solutions in pilot areas, the development of innovative hydrogen-powered passenger ship designs for local and cross-border traffic (proof-of-concept) and the preparation of fully feasible case studies.

The travelling exhibition ‘The Garden of the (In)visible’ is currently open to visitors in the Municipality of Hrpelje - Kozina, Slovenia. From 15 March it will be in Koper before arriving in Trieste in May and moving on to Geneva.

The project is part of anthropological research on the theme of migration carried out by the University of Primorska Koper and the University of Trieste, as part of the activities of T4E - Transform4EuropeAlliance.

Working collaboratively across borders, lecturers and students travelled between Croatia, Slovenia and Italy where they found and collected objects left by migrants in the woods or at the edges of towns. These things are abandoned after long and difficult journeys on foot by people from various backgrounds in Asia and Africa. They are both everyday objects used for eating, sleeping, protecting oneself from the elements and caring for oneself as well as artefacts that reveal an intimate and spiritual sphere. Casting these things aside and abandoning them leaves a record of a passage towards a new stage in life, a sign of rebirth. The piles of discarded things at the edge of the woods or by the roadside that we ignore or treat as rubbish lead us towards a fundamental political and moral question of our times. Only a small number of these objects have been selected for inclusion in the exhibition 'In the garden of the (In)visible'. The travelling exhibition attempts to  stage encounters between individuals crossing borders and individuals living at borders. Ultimately, it seeks to ask a fundamental question: what do we (not) want to see?

CREDITS

Coordination

Roberta Altin

Katja Hrobat Virloget

Concept & scientific team

Roberta Altin

Katja Hrobat Virloget

Alessandro Monsutti

Giuseppe Grimaldi

Gathering and collection of exhibits

Students of the Border Archive (cultural anthropology course, Dep. Humanities University of Trieste)

Students of Humanities Faculty, University of Primorska: Monika Cergolj, Kristina Kovačić, Michał Saczuk

Friends and volunteers

Creative Project and exhibition

Federico Barile AltreMenti

Rino Lombardi

Photographs: Angela Tozzi Ins, Katja Hrobat Virloget

Communication:

Communication and External Relations Unit of the University of Trieste

University of Primorska

Sponsor:

T4E Transform4EuropeAlliance

University of Primorska, UP Faculty of Humanities

Department of Humanities - University of Trieste

Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva

ARIS (Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency) projects: J6-50198 Ethnography of Silence(s), J6-2578 Urban Futures: Imagining and Activating Possibilities in Unsettled Times

Does everything we learn help make us even a little happier?

UniTS thinks so! 20th March marks the first National Universities Day, which unsurprisingly coincides with the International Day of Happiness. The theme proposed by CRUI (Conference of Italian University Rectors) is 'Universities Unveiled' and we are excited to share our scientific and cultural heritage not only with students. 

The day also falls within Minerva Week, dedicated to the celebration of knowledge and education. The Minerva is the symbol of our university: the stylised statue of Mascherini in Piazzale Europa welcomes the UniTS community every day.

These are the events not to be missed:

- Lectio Magistralis by Daniel Kammen at ‘Powering the Just Transition’ 

On 20th March, National University Day, the ‘Giacomo Ciamician’ Interdepartmental Centre for Energy, Environment and Transport, in collaboration with the Luciano Fonda University College, is organising Powering the Just Transition.

Guest speaker Daniel Kammen, professor at the University of Berkeley and one of the world's leading experts on the subject of energy transition. During his keynote lecture, he will describe the steps towards decarbonised economies.

In his career, Kammen has published more than 450 scientific papers and has been a consultant to the State of California, the US federal government and led the World Bank's Technical Committee on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.

Info at: https://portale.units.it/it/eventi/powering-just-transition

- MOVIEUNITS

Until 26th June 2024 ‘MOVIEUNITS’, the itinerant and free film festival that offers the possibility to see films in different locations in Trieste, with two special dates also in Gorizia and Portogruaro, will be open to all.

On 20th March, at 8.30 p.m. at the Auditorium of the Revoltella Museum, Spike Jonze's ‘Her’ is scheduled, in the original English language audio with Italian subtitles. https://100anni.units.it/index.php/evento/movieunits-lei/

Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is an employee of a company who, through the Internet, writes personal letters on behalf of others, an absurd job he performs with great skill and at times even passion. However, since his break-up with the girl he married, he is unable to rebuild his life, is always thinking about her and refuses to sign the divorce papers. When a new generation of operating systems, animated by a surprisingly 'human' artificial intelligence, arrives on the market, Theodore begins to develop a complex relationship beyond imagination with it - Samantha (played by Scarlett Johansson), the AI entity.

Full programme of the exhibition at https://100anni.units.it/index.php/home/movieunits/ 

- EXHIBITION ‘1924 - 2024. A century in the history of the University of Trieste. Images and Documents’.

Set up in the Pomis Bastion of the San Giusto Castle, the multi-documental exhibition evokes the salient moments and personalities of Trieste's university century. Open to the public until 1st September 2024, the exhibition offers a tale of history, architecture and art and is divided into four distinct sections: historical, architectural, audiovisual and artistic.

All information at https://portale.units.it/it/notizie/cento-anni-di-storia-mostra-luniversita-di-trieste-si-racconta-con-opere-darte-immagini 

- FAI Spring Days

On Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th March the FAI (National Trust for Italy) Spring Days are back: the UniTS headquarters is on the programme in Trieste!

The visit, organised by the Trieste FAI Youth Group, does not require a reservation and will take in the exterior and interior spaces of the characteristic ‘H’-shaped building. The tour will call at the exhibition ‘I miei pùpoli (my sketches): Gaetano Kanizsa scientist and artist ‘, the Rector's Gallery and the works of #SBLAD - Shine Bright Like A Diamond, the project that photographs the current emerging art scene and expands the University's heritage of works.

OPENING HOURS: Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th March from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry at 5 p.m.). Groups admitted every 30 minutes. The total duration of the visit is approximately 1 hour.

All info on https://portale.units.it/it/eventi/giornate-fai-di-primavera-23-e-24-marzo-units 

The University of Trieste and the Municipality of Trieste are inaugurating a multi-documental exhibition today at the Bastione Fiorito of the San Giusto Castle, recalling the salient moments and personalities of Trieste’s university century. The exhibition will be open to the public from 15th March to 1st September 2024.

EXHIBITION CATALOGUE 

To mark the University's Centenary celebrations, the University of Trieste and the Municipality of Trieste are to open the exhibition entitled ‘1924 - 2024. A century of history of the University of Trieste. Images and documents’. Proposed and coordinated by the University museum services (SMATS), the exhibition is brought into being with the contribution of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region of. 

‘With this exhibition,’ says municipal councillor Giorgio Rossi, ‘the new exhibition season at the Pomis Bastion continues, put together by the curator of the San Giusto Castle. An exhibition season that began last September and is aimed at exploring the history and excellence of Trieste in various ways. The exhibition that opens today, celebrating the Centenary of the University of Trieste, seals the fruitful collaboration between the University of Trieste and the Municipality of Trieste on the San Giusto hill.’

‘Visitors to the exhibition will have a clear perception of the historical, architectural and cultural heritage of which we are proud custodians,’ says Rector Roberto Di Lenarda. ‘Many will have the opportunity to recognise themselves and travel through glimpses of the past and discover anecdotes and aspects of our university that are perhaps still little known.’

‘With the exhibition, the University intends to place itself at the heart of the cultural and economic history of the city, to strengthen its ties to Trieste as a university city, thus opening up to the swirling change in communication, research, and the interconnections between education and the world of work in which we are all protagonists and participants’ - explains Tullia Catalan, curator of the exhibition and associate professor of contemporary history at the Department of Humanities at the University of Trieste.

The general coordination of the exhibition was supervised by Anna Krekic, the curator of San Giusto Castle, and Laura Sartori, the Centenary activities coordinator.

In a narrative between history, architecture and art, the exhibition itinerary - set up by Lorenzo Michelli – is made up of four distinct sections, balancing historical sources and aesthetic references.

The first historical section, curated by Tullia Catalan and Lorenzo Ielen, retraces the history of the 100th anniversary of the University of Trieste through a selection of images, documents and videos taken from the University's Historical Archive and from numerous public and private, local and regional archives.

Involved in an initial phase in the delicate vicissitudes arising from the conflicts over a disputed border and then affected by the cultural and sociological transformations of the 1960s and 1970s, the university has found its place in international openness, especially in the field of research and technical-scientific disciplines, which are amongst the most prized of the university’s current educational offerings.

The second architectural section, curated by Paolo Nicoloso and Marko Pogacnik, focuses on the 1938 designing of the university's central body, a building with marked symbolic overtones. Illustrated through the technical drawings of the time and some images, the section renders all the complexity and richness of the solutions devised by the designers. The initial iconographic programme, purged of references to the post-war fascist regime, now boasts the famous Minerva, which has become the university's most recognisable symbol over the years, built in 1956 by sculptor Marcello Mascherini, and two large reliefs on the façades of the left and right wings of the building.

The third section, curated by Massimiliano Spanu and Daniele Terzoli and dedicated to audiovisuals, further expands the contents through the screening of valuable documentaries and a film. Standing out for its importance and beauty is the film which has been unarchived - and thus restored to the history of Italian cinema - Pagine d'Università (University Pages), a 1956 Ferraniacolor (a colour film process developed in Italy by Ferrania.) It was made by Anna Gruber, an actress and director, screenwriter and writer from Trieste of international fame, commissioned by the University Film Centre. The film was found in the A. Hortis Civic Library’s Diplomatic Archive and Archival Funds.

The other films on show in the exhibition are taken from the Istituto Luce Historical Archive and from La Cineteca del Friuli - Friuli Venezia Giulia Film Archive. Archival research was carried out with the collaboration of the research centre La Cappella Underground.

The fourth and last section, curated by Massimo Degrassi and Lorenzo Michelli, is dedicated to art history and includes a selection of works - now preserved in the Rector's Gallery - presented in 1953 as part of the National Exhibition of Contemporary Italian Painting held at the University of Trieste. Finally, the final part of the exhibition offers a selection of the works donated to the University by thirty-five artists and collectors on this centenary, already partly illustrated in the event ‘A Trieste mi piaceva arrivare’ (I liked arriving in Trieste) on 20th December 2023.

The exhibition will be open to the public from 15th March to 1st September 2024. From the opening and until 31st March it will be open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 1st April to 1st September daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

A visit to the exhibition is included in the entrance ticket to the San Giusto Castle (full price 6 euros; reduced price 4 euros).

Info: San Giusto Castle 

The exhibition 'A Spanish-speaking writer from Trieste', has been recently opened, and is dedicated to the poet, narrator, essayist and translator Juan Octavio Prenz, who taught Spanish Literature at the University of Trieste for almost thirty years. The exhibition can be found in the ‘Stelio Crise’ State Library of Trieste (Biblioteca Statale).

An Argentian of Istrian origin, Prenz was an authentic protagonist of 20th-century culture, from his beginnings in Argentina as a writer, teacher and university professor, to his move to Europe following dictator Videla's rise to power, where he spent time teaching Spanish and Latin American Literature at the universities of Belgrade, Ljubljana, Venice and Trieste.

Among the many awards received during his extensive literary career, Prenz was awarded the prestigious Nonino International Prize in 2019.

The exhibition illustrates the path taken by Juan Octavio Prenz as a poet and storyteller, as well as a translator from Spanish into Slavic languages and from Slavic into Spanish. It was organised by the Association Archive and Documentation Centre of Regional Culture and the ‘Stelio Crise’ State Library of Trieste, under the patronage of the Department of Humanistic Studies in UniTS and PEN Trieste Aps.

Through his literary output, his relationships with some important writers are also considered, from Miguel Angel Asturias to Pablo Neruda, from Jorge Luis Borges to Günter Grass and Claudio Magris, who defined him as a ‘Latin American Central European’.

The exhibition, which will remain open until 26th April, presents personal handwritten notes, typescripts, letters, editions of various works, photographs, portraits and objects that belonged to the writer. It will be open from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with free admission. It is closed on Saturdays and public holidays. 

Line 17/ timetables become more ‘student-friendly’ as Tpl FVG enhance their night service.

These two important innovations have resulted from the collaboration of UniTS and Trieste Trasporti and have significantly improved the bus service for university users.

‘The change in the 17/ timetable was the subject of UniTS student Chiara Capraro's degree thesis,’ explains Giovanni Longo, the university's Mobility Manager. ‘Her proposal was included in the UniTS home-to-work travel plan and now, thanks to Trieste Trasporti, it has become a reality aiding all students.

Here are the new features in detail:

Connections to Piazzale Europa: the new timetable for line 17/

The timetable for line 17/ connecting Piazza della Libertà (Trieste Centrale train station) to Piazzale Europa has been changed. Students are advised to use lines 17 and 17/ as a priority to reach the university, leaving lines 51 and 51/ available for staff and researchers travelling to the two Area Science Park campuses of Basovizza and Padriciano.

The route of Tpl Fvg's night service expands

As requested by many students, the route of the night bus service promoted by Tpl Fvg and Trieste Trasporti with UniTS will be extended from 8th March. Another 28 stops have been added to those already active since last July: from Valmaura to via Baiamonti, from Viale Ippodromo to Piazza Perugino, from San Giacomo to Via Rossetti and Piazza dell'Ospitale. The service operates on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 22:00 to 4:00. To use the service, it is necessary to download the TSonDemand app (available for Android and iOS). The app allows you to book rides by indicating your departure stop, your destination stop and your desired time of departure. The ticket can also be purchased directly in the app at the time of booking, by credit card, Paypal or, as of a few days ago, prepaid travel card. The price of the journey is deducted when you board the bus and give your name to the driver. Each passenger can book for himself/herself and up to 19 other people. It is possible to book the service from 14 days before the ride, but the booking can also be made in real time: the earlier you book, the more likely the ride is to be available at the requested time.

International Women's Day celebrates the progress made by women in the economic, political and cultural spheres all over the world. To mark 8 March, UniTS sheds light on women in the world of mechanics, a traditionally ‘masculine’ sector.

 An in-depth analysis of the presence of women in the engineering sector in FVG was presented at the ‘Women Entrepreneurs and Managers in the World of Mechanics’ event (part of the ‘Women and Work’ series), organised by UniTS Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics (DEAMS) and Association of Women Entrepreneurs and Managers (AIDDA) in collaboration with MIB Trieste School of Management.

The data collected by Rubina Romanello, lecturer in Economics and Business Management at DEAMS, and Lucia Parussini, lecturer in Fluid Machines at the Department of Engineering and Architecture (DIA), showed that the number of women employed in the metal sector in the FVG region between 2020 and 2022 has increased by 70%. However, it emerged that the majority of these women (60%) held administrative or operational roles. Furthermore, only 10% of metalworking companies in FVG are women-owned. The predominance of all-male boards was also discussed at national level. Only 17.6% of companies have a board where 50% or more of its members are women.

In the field of education, it was noted that, despite a growth in the enrolment of women in bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering, the overall percentage still remains low – just over 20%. Consequently, there is also a significant under-representation of women among university teaching staff.

UniTS is also participating in the LOGS project of the CNR Institute of Polar Sciences. The aim is to collect data on the glaciers in the Aqqutikitsoq mountain area in Greenland.

Renato R. Colucci, Professor of Glaciology at UniTS and Researcher at the Institute of Polar Sciences of the CNR, and Emanuele Forte, Professor of Geophysics at the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Geosciences of UniTS, are both involved in the recently started measurement campaign.

The two researchers, using Ground Penetrating Radar, will assess the thickness and volume of a few of approximately 100 largely unexplored glaciers in the Aqqutikitsoq mountainous area, near the town of Sisimiut (west coast of Greenland). 

This area is important to the local community for several reasons. Firstly, the glaciers provide the summer runoff for the Sisimiut hydroelectric power plant, therefore their evolution will have a direct impact on the efficiency of the city's energy production. Secondly, the Aqqutikitsoq mountains are a popular recreational area and the municipality has licensed the development of tourist activities. For this reason, the community needs an assessment of the risks relating to crevasses and avalanches in the area and their possible future developments. The project also has ambitions to create the basis for a new long-term monitoring site on a glacier on the west coast of Greenland.

During the mission, Prof. Colucci will also chair a workshop organised at the Arctic Station of the DTU (Technical University of Denmark) in Sisimiut, together with the Greenland Winter Warning Association. The topic of this workshop will be the safety of snowmobile routes in highly crevassed areas. There will also be an information evening for the local population to explain the ongoing scientific activities.

The University of Trieste and the University of Panama will collaborate for the next 6 years, organising academic activities, teaching projects, specialised training and joint research in their shared academic disciplines.

More specifically, the activities envisaged are teacher exchanges, student mobility, the sharing of publications and research materials, the implementation of joint projects related to teaching, teacher training and research. The collaboration will also see the implementation of joint or collaborative degree programmes and various in-depth study opportunities for both graduates and undergraduates. 

The signing of the agreement occurred during the institutional visit of a UniTS delegation formed by Vice Rector Valter Sergo, Deputy Rector for Research Alessandro Baraldi and the head of the Department of Physics Giovanni Comelli, a department of excellence officially recognised by the Italian Ministry for University and Research (MUR).

The University of Panama extended an invitation to UniTS to participate in the Escuela Internacional de verano (international summer school). Here the Vice Rector delivered the inaugural lecture entitled 'The impact of science in today's world', also in the presence of the ambassador of Panama, Fabrizio Nicoletti, who was actively involved in bringing about the signing of the agreement.