Giacomo Filippini, a researcher from the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Trieste, has been awarded the prestigious 'Giacomo Ciamician' medal of the Organic Chemistry Division of the Italian Chemical Society. The prize is awarded each year to a young researcher under 40 who has distinguished themselves at a national level for research of considerable originality and interest in the field of Organic Chemistry. Giacomo Filippini has been involved in the design and development of innovative (photo)catalytic transformations aimed at the synthesis of organic molecules of interest in the fields of theoretical and applied research.

The 'Giacomo Ciamician' medal will be awarded on Thursday 29th August 2024 during the 28th National Congress of the Italian Chemical Society in Milan, where Filippini will present the most significant parts of his research work.

Giacomo Filippini graduated with honours in Industrial Chemistry in 2013 from the University of Bologna, with an experimental thesis concerning the synthesis of new enantiomerically enriched atropisomers. In the same year he was accepted onto the PhD in Chemistry at the ICIQ in Tarragona (Spain), where he worked on the development of new enantioselective photo-organocatalytic transformations under the supervision of Prof. Paolo Melchiorre. In 2017 he was awarded his PhD and joined the group of Prof. Maurizio Prato as a research assistant at the University of Trieste, where he worked on the development of new carbon-based nano-catalytic systems. In April 2021, he won a competition for a type-A researcher position in Organic Chemistry, as part of the ERC project ‘eDOTS’ lead by Maurizio Prato) in the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at UniTS. Following this, he took up his position as type-B researcher in the same department in October 2023. 

‘2100. There’s no time to waste’ is a docufilm that, through the contributions of scientists and experts, takes stock of the effects of climate change on the environment and natural resources in 26 emerged and submerged sites on the Sicilian coast, trying to imagine what the situation will be like in 2100, the year that science uses to simulate future environmental scenarios through the projection of data collected so far.

It will be this work, which has already won awards at various festivals – produced in 2021 by Fabrizio Antonioli, an associate at the Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering of the CNR (CNR-IGAG), and Thalassia Giaccone, of the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station, and scripted by Martina Camatta – that will officially kick off the ‘MARE SOPRA’ popularisation project on 9th May at 18:00 at the Miela Theatre. It was conceived by the University of Trieste and realised, with the collaboration of various partners, thanks to the contribution of the Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, with the aim of raising awareness among the public, especially young people, about the rising sea levels caused by global warming and the consequences already visible on our coasts.

The docufilm will be followed, at 19:00 by the ‘Impact of sea level rise on Friuli Venezia Giulia’s coastline’ round table. Moderated by Franco Foresta Martin, former scientific and environmental editor of Corriere della Sera and RAI consultant (Quark and Geo&Geo), it will feature some of the leading experts on climate change and marine biology: Fabrizio Antonioli, a coastal geomorphologist from CNR-IGAG, specialising in the study of sea level variations; glaciologist Roberto Renato Colucci, from CNR-ISP; physicist Fabio Raicich, from CNR-ISMAR, marine microbiologist Francesca Malfatti (UniTS), climate physicist and Nobel laureate Filippo Giorgi (ICTP), Giorgio Fontolan of UniTS, lecturer in Sedimentology and Coastal Dynamics UniTS, and palaeontology lecturer Carlo Corradini (UniTS).

In the coming decades, sea levels will continue to rise dramatically, changing the geography of our coasts and damaging coastal structures. It has already risen by more than 20 centimetres since 1880 and is expected to reach 30 cm by 2050. We have already had warnings of what the situation may be: the most recent was the strong sea storm last November that hit the eastern coast of the Gulf of Trieste, from Muggia to Lignano, causing extensive damage to coastal infrastructure. The combination of high sea levels and winds from the southern quadrants accumulated water in the Gulf, leading to an explosive situation that could be repeated with greater intensity and frequency in the future.

With the popularisation project ‘MARE SOPRA’, conceived by Stefano Furlani, associate professor of geomorphology at the University of Trieste, the aim is to raise awareness of the problem of rising sea levels caused by climate change. ‘With its almost 100 kilometres of coastline, Friuli Venezia Giulia is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels, with the risks of coastal erosion and flooding threatening communities and infrastructure,’ Furlani observes. ‘Rising sea levels could compromise coastal environments, but also many of the business sectors that gravitate to those areas, such as fishing and tourism. Therefore, it is crucial to raise awareness among citizens and especially the younger generation. Efforts to propose adaptation or mitigation actions are essential to tackle this problem while protecting people, the environment and the local economy from its consequences. MARE SOPRA intends to move in this direction, proposing meetings with experts, screenings of documentaries, hands-on experiences with students and citizens, and the creation of a virtual tour: an engaging and accessible tool to explore places and environments in a realistic and detailed way, almost as if one were on site’.

This is an interdisciplinary project, which will involve geomorphologists, sociologists and biologists from three university departments (Mathematics, Computer Science and Geosciences; Political and Social Sciences; and Life Sciences), but also citizenship, schools and associations through the Citizen Science model: it will be schoolchildren and citizens who will actively participate, after being suitably trained, in the measurement of sea level rise.

New digital technologies will also come into play, with the creation of a ‘virtual tour’ that will allow the public to virtually navigate and dive along the Friuli Venezia Giulia coastline. Thanks to 360-degree spherical aerial videos acquired by drone and by diving above and below the sea surface, a very high-resolution journey along the region’s coastline will be created from Muggia to Lignano: through a dozen clickable hotspots along the route map (including Muggia, Trieste, Duino Aurisina, Monfalcone, Staranzano, Grado, Marano Lagunare and Lignano), it will be possible to view audio content, videos, images, in-depth texts and web links to dive 360° above and below sea level.

The ‘virtual tour’, which will be tested directly by the public during an ad hoc event, will be usable from PCs, mobile devices and through Virtual Reality viewers, such as Oculus Meta 2-3, and can also be used by the science museums collaborating in the project for their dissemination activities. It stems from the experience of the Geoswim project, which started in 2012 when Furlani swam solo and surveyed along the entire coastline of Istria. The project, which has since involved biologists, archaeologists and geologists from all over Italy, has led – with the use of a boat equipped with GPS, a series of probes to measure water depth, salinity and temperature, and time-lapse and 360° cameras placed above and below sea level – to the mapping of hundreds of kilometres of Mediterranean coastline, collecting data on their morphological conformation and sea level in the present and past, as well as physical and chemical parameters such as temperature and conductivity. This summer, the mapping will be carried out by the UniTS researchers and lecturers involved in the project, who will complete the survey activities that have already begun on the coasts, by kayak and swimming.

During MARE SOPRA a number of informational meetings will be held in the municipalities of Grado, Muggia and Trieste, which will also be involved in the training and measurement activities, both theoretical and practical, conducted by young researchers and PhD students from UniTS. At the end of these activities the main coastal locations will be marked with two lines: the yellow line will mark where the sea will be in 2050, the red line its level in 2100. Finally, the usefulness of the project will be measured through questionnaires, which will be submitted to the participants in the various activities to assess the effectiveness of the 'social learning' actions.

Mare Sopra, coordinated by the University of Trieste and realised with the contribution of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, collaborates with the Marine Protected Area of Miramare, the Municipality of Muggia, the Marevivo Association – Fvg Delegation, the Marco Polo Institute of Grado, and the Galilei High School of Trieste.

The BluEcho research project is launching to address underwater noise pollution, assessing the level of noise generated by ships and wind farms in different marine basins (the Adriatic, North and Baltic seas). The project is based on EU guidelines for defining threshold values for continuous noise produced by humans in water and aims to build upon the work of previous European projects (JOMOPANS, AQUO, SONIC, JONAS, QUIETSEAS). Taking a multidisciplinary approach, BluEcho focuses on the interaction between source, medium, and receiver rather than one-way solutions.

A specific new approach will be developed for numerically modeling propellers and wind turbine blades, as well as large-scale acoustic maps. Initially, the developed methodology will be used to accurately assess the current health status of the sea. Subsequently, researchers will focus on predicting new scenarios where mitigation measures will be adopted. The effectiveness and economic feasibility of mitigation measures (including slow down or re-routing procedures in risk areas or so-called quiet periods) will also be evaluated, and the implementation of new protected areas will be proposed. Cost-benefit assessment will be conducted considering the needs of stakeholders, both in shipping traffic and wind farms.

The project, coordinated by the University of Trieste (DIA Engineering and Architecture and DEAMS Economic, Business, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Departments), also involves the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics; Chalmers University of Technology – Gothenburg, Sweden; Institute of Marine Research – Bergen, Norway; Alfred-Wegener Institute – Bremerhaven, Germany.

A delegation made up of representatives of the key players in Somali academic, political and cultural communities has been welcomed by UniTS Vice-Rector Valter Sergo, Deputy Rector for Development Cooperation Ilaria Micheli and Giuseppe Borruso, professor of the Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics (DEAMS).

The meeting aims at improving relations between the two countries, and is taking place in light of the strong Somali presence in Friuli Venezia Giulia since the 1970s.

The University of Trieste boasts a long-standing collaboration with the Somali National University (SNU), thanks to its active participation in a bilateral Italy - Somalia programme (together with other Italian universities). The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) has so far financed 5 projects (SNU 1-5) aiming at strengthening the institutional and academic structure of the Somali National University.

The University of Trieste was involved in the SNU 2 and SNU 3 projects, the most significant of the series in terms of knowledge transfer and research training.

During these two phases between 2018 and 2022, DEAMS hosted some members of the delegation for three months, namely Prof. Hassan Osman Ga'al, current Rector of SNU (former Dean of the Somali Faculty of Economics). They also gave four Somali students, two of whom are now active researchers at SNU, the opportunity to attend and complete the Master's Degree Course in Economics of Productive Sectors and International Markets.

The SNU 5 project is currently underway with UniTS also among its active partners, and is coordinated by the Milan Polytechnic.

During the visit, the delegation also met DEAMS professors and researchers already involved in the SNU project, as well as those interested in collaboration with the Somali university.

These are the names of the delegation members

1. Ahmed Faghi Elmi, President of the Somali Community

2. Abdullahi Omar Abshir, Vice President of the Federal Parliament of Somalia

3. Nura Mustaf Mukhtar Guudow, Deputy Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education of the Federal Republic of Somalia

4. Hassan Osman Gacal, Rector of the Somali National University

5. Ibrahim Gure Mohamed, Director of the Somali Diaspora Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

6. Ismail Yusuf Osman, President of the Somali Academy of Science and Arts

7. Khalid Mao Abdulkadir, Lecturer at the Somali National University

8. Salim Alio Ibro, Somali MP

9. Aues Scek, Member of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Somalia

10. Edna Moallim Abdulkadir, AMEB Mother & Child Care Association

11. Bashir Osman Ahmed, Somali Community

12. Dahir Ali, Somali Community

13. Bashir Abdulle, Somali Community

14. Lorenzo Dugulin, Somali Community

15. Ahmed Mohamed, Somali journalist

16. Mohamed Roberto degli Espositi, Somali journalist

RAI journalist Paolo di Giannantonio also present.

The workshop "Quantum science and technology: where we are, where we are headed" and the public event "Living in a quantum world" have both been organised for 18th and 19th April at the Italian Academy of Columbia University in New York by the UniTS Physics Department.

Organised on the University of Trieste's 100th anniversary, the events bear witness to the excellence achieved by the University of Trieste in the field of one of the most strategic areas of science today.

The two events will feature talks by some of the leading experts in quantum subjects, and are organised by Prof. Angelo Bassi, Prof. Fabio Benatti, Prof. Alberto Morgante (Former Fellow and current member of the Executive Committee of the Italian Academy, Columbia University), Prof. Francesco Scazza and Prof. Andrea Trombettoni.

In particular, the workshop open to the academic community will present innovations and the future of research in the field of quantum science and technology Quantum Science & Technology: where we are, where we are headed - qmts.

The panel discussion https://italianacademy.columbia.edu/events/living-quantum-world will explore the scientific, philosophical and social implications of quantum physics and quantum technologies, and is open to the public. It will feature the reflections of Katiuscia Cassemiro, Chief Editor of PRX Quantum - American Physical Society (APS Physics), Anna Grassellino, Director of the SQMS (Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems) Center at Fermilab, Philip Kim, Professor of Physics and of Applied Physics, Harvard University and Robert Konik, Chair of the Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory. Robert Henderson, journalist for The Wall Street Journal, will moderate.

The Italian Academy (https://italianacademy.columbia.edu) is a world-leading research centre in the humanities and sciences, founded in 1991 based on an agreement between Columbia University and the Italian Republic. Its main commitment is to promote innovative interdisciplinary studies. The Honorary President is the President of the Italian Republic.

Sponsors of the two meetings are, in addition to the University of Trieste, The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America, National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), National Research Council (CNR).

Now that the Italy-Austria Interreg project SENSHOME has come to an end, the University of Trieste has obtained new funding from the European Union, enabling the university to continue its studies. The funding will strengthen research and innovation and help to introduce advanced technology, more know-how and the best practices regarding architecture for people with cognitive disabilities.

This is the specific objective of the new Italy-Austria Interreg project "BeSENSHome: Sensors in sensitive environments. Inclusive spaces which accommodate the needs of those with cognitive disabilities".

As part of the BeSENSHome project, advanced systems and smart sensor networks will be specially installed into residences, day-care centres, workplaces and facilities hosting people with neurocognitive disabilities, in order to enhance environmental comfort for occupants. To achieve this innovative goal, these systems must be customisable in order to accommodate the needs of the residents, providing individuals with the maximum level of agency possible over their built environment. Thanks to artificial intelligence coupled with the sensor network, the environment will be able to learn the preferences or requirements of the occupant, identifying stressful triggers and adjusting environmental conditions. It will also be able to alert assistants if intervention is needed, pre-emptively preventing any potentially dangerous conditions from arising. The insertion of these sensor networks into people’s environments will be implemented to the finest detail to ensure optimal integration into existing contexts. To achieve these goals and make the system as useful and user-friendly as possible, a collaborative research and design approach will be adopted throughout the project.

The developed system will then be put to the test, implementing the technologies discreetly and unobtrusively in environments where neurodivergent people and their family members/caregivers need support in their daily lives.

This support will be enhanced by the study of architectural solutions for the spaces. For example, the appropriate choice of materials for furniture and upholstery, lights and light dimming devices will facilitate sight, tactility and comfort within the various environments. The chosen spaces will also be investigated from an acoustic, visual and thermo-hygrometric point of view. This is both in order to optimise the operation of environmental sensors and to study their appropriate positioning to ensure privacy, increase autonomy, and render everyday environments more inclusive and safe.

The UniTS scientific coordinator is Giuseppina Scavuzzo, Associate Professor in Architectural and Urban Composition, Coordinator of the Architectural Studies Course of the Department of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Trieste.

Project partners include: Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (lead partner), the University of Trieste, Kärnten University of Applied Sciences, Eureka system s.r.l., Fondazione Progettoautismo FVG onlus, MCI Management Center Innsbruck GmbH.

 BeSENSHome   

The University of Trieste today awarded the honorary Master’s Degree in Law to the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella and to Borut Pahor, former President of the Republic of Slovenia, two personalities who are contributing to writing the history of the Adriatic border.

The motivation for the double award is, in fact, the policy of reconciliation pursued by the two Presidents, which has made the eastern border area, scarred by the wounds of 20th century history, an example of cooperation between peoples bound by their common membership to the European Union.

This is the motivation: ‘Sergio Mattarella and Borut Pahor courageously repudiated the narrow perspective of nationalistic egoism to pursue instead a policy of reconciliation, based on the creation and consolidation of spaces and symbols dedicated to collective memory, as the foundation of authentic peace among peoples. These two statesmen interpreted the love for their homelands with high European values at heart, helping to transform the Adriatic border from a territory afflicted by harsh ethnic and cultural conflict to a space of dialogue, cooperation and friendship, in the common awareness of human rights and in the light of democratic freedoms.

The text of the motivation was read out in Italian by Prof. Gian Paolo Dolso, Head of the Department of Legal, Language, Interpretation and Translation Sciences (IUSLIT) of the University of Trieste, which proposed the double awarding of honorary degrees. The Slovenian version was entrusted to Professor Tereza Pertot.

Professors Davide Rossi and Fabio Spitaleri read out the two laudations.

‘Our University’s task is to build bridges, not walls; to make a concrete contribution to the social, cultural and ethical growth of new generations,’ explained Roberto Di Lenarda, Rector of the University of Trieste. ‘In a historical moment like this one, marked by war scenarios, universities are open to everyone, they are inclusive, they protect and support above all the weakest among us, but universities must also be granted autonomy in choosing their collaborators to produce science and develop human and social culture.’

‘Science is produced by doing research, and this involves both cooperation and competition with other universities and research bodies. Together, we progress hand in hand, supporting the most advanced minds and souls, even in suffering societies,’ the Rector continued, calling for a balanced and rational management of the tension that agitates Italian universities.

The ceremony began in the University’s Main Hall, in the presence of the University Rector, the academic community, civil, military, diplomatic and religious authorities, and students.

Set in the broader context of the enlargement of the European Union to the Western Balkans and the political and diplomatic action carried out by the two Heads of State and their predecessors Giorgio Napolitano and Danilo Turk, today’s celebration confirms the role of the University of Trieste as a place of exchange and dialogue and constitutes a new opportunity for the two Presidents to meet, showing a solid relationship that has continued even after Pahor’s term of office ended.

Over the years, in fact, there have been numerous initiatives involving Mattarella and Pahor, such as the ceremony ‘Europe as a place for overcoming conflicts’ on the centenary of the union of Gorizia with Italy on 26 October 2016 and the meeting on 21 October 2021 to celebrate the joint designation of Gorizia and Nova Gorica as ‘European Capital of Culture 2025’, a recognition destined to increase the sense of union of the two cities, which were divided by barbed wire until thirty years ago.

Also to be remembered as a fundamental moment in the new season of relations between Italy and Slovenia, a model of cooperation for the European continent, is the bilateral meeting in Trieste on 13th July 2020, with the Presidents’ homage to the sites symbolic of the tragedies of totalitarianism.

This is not the first time that the University of Trieste has conferred an honorary degree to a President of the Republic: we remember Luigi Einaudi on 4 November 1954, on the occasion of Trieste’s return under Italian sovereignty, and Antonio Segni in 1963, on the threshold of the establishment and launch of the Special Statute Region.

The ceremony was enriched by the performance of the Italian, Slovenian and European anthems by the Choir and Orchestra of the University of Trieste, conducted by Riccardo Cossi.

At the end of the ceremony, the University’s centenary anthem ‘Sorprendi la sorte’, with lyrics by Marcela Serli, was also performed. 

Eugenio Fornasiero of the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Trieste has been awarded € 248,000 by the Telethon-Cariplo Call for Proposals to fund a research project on neurodevelopmental disorders.

The initiative, which the two Foundations commit to continuing into the future, is dedicated to clarifying those still obscure aspects of the human genome potentially responsible for rare diseases.

Now in its third year, the Fondazione Cariplo and Fondazione Telethon call for proposals has led to the selection of 14 new research projects, for a total of € 3.2 million and 22 research groups involved.

In Friuli-Venezia Giulia, € 248,000 have been allocated to fund a project of the University of Trieste.

This brings the total joint investment by the two Foundations to almost € 14 million, which has led to the funding of 59 research projects involving 90 Italian research centres.

This initiative, inspired by a programme of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), aims precisely to ‘illuminate the darkest portion of the human genome’, inviting researchers to study genetic aspects and molecular mechanisms that are still largely unknown or poorly understood, but which represent potential for the development of new therapies for rare diseases. In particular, projects were to focus on the study of so-called T-dark targets, for which information on structure, function and interaction with molecules and drugs is unknown. Although the human genome has been completely sequenced, we still know very little about many genes and the proteins they encode. Suffice it to say that of the 4500 human proteins considered to be possible pharmacological targets, only 700 are currently in the crosshairs of approved drugs: this means that of all the others, more than 80 per cent, there could be proteins that are suitable to be studied in order to develop new therapies, but for several reasons are not being studied.

Eugenio Fornasiero from the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Trieste will coordinate a study on neurodevelopmental disorders. In particular, the project focuses on a specific gene called CCDC32, classified as TDark of which we have very limited knowledge. The loss of function of CCDC32 is the direct cause of a rare and non-specific syndromic intellectual disability,

often accompanied by physical abnormalities. By delving into its function, the fundamental basis for understanding not only this specific gene, but also the more general mechanisms underlying rare intellectual disabilities and associated physical malformations will be provided.

As far as the geographical distribution of the research centres involved is concerned, most - 14 out of 22 - are located in Lombardy; the others are in Emilia-Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Marche, Piedmont and Tuscany. Among the pathologies under study are certain forms of muscular dystrophy such as Duchenne’s and facio-scapulo-humeral dystrophy, blood diseases such as haemochromatosis, haemorrhagic telangiectasia and thalassaemia, but also neurodevelopmental disorders and rare tumours.

A total of 77 project proposals were submitted by Italian non-profit, public or private research organisations. Of these, 69 were deemed suitable and submitted to the evaluation process, entrusted to a medical-scientific commission of 15 internationally renowned scientists from all over the world and chaired by Dr. Massimo Pandolfo of Mc Gill University in Montreal (Canada). For the evaluation of the projects, the peer-review method was used, which indicates the critical assessment that a work or publication receives from specialists with similar skills to those of the person submitting it, guaranteeing the transparency and fairness of the evaluation.

The Allianz Pallacanestro Trieste game on Sunday 14 April at 18:00 against Urania Milano will celebrate the UniTS Centenary. The LEDs on the sidelines and the Palatrieste wall will display colours and images chosen to celebrate this historic anniversary.

Even the court flooring will be customised to remind basketball fans that sport and study go hand in hand. This union of sport and study will also be underlined by the presentation of a special game jersey to Rector Roberto Di Lenarda by the General Manager of Pallacanestro Trieste, Michael Arcieri.

‘This year we are celebrating an anniversary that has great significance for the University and for the entire city of Trieste,’ comments Michael Arcieri. ‘Our partnership is a tribute to the shared values of education and sport, and we are proud to contribute to such an important celebration. We are pleased to announce that the match against Urania Milano at PalaTrieste will really showcase this partnership.’

‘We believe that passion for sport as a player or even as a supporter is a sign of vitality and enthusiasm that, in the case of our students, helps them face the challenges of study, work and life,’ adds Roberto Di Lenarda. ‘We are happy to paint PalaTrieste’s home court with the colours of our centenary and invite all sportsmen and women to participate in our initiatives dedicated to this historic anniversary.’

28th March marks World Endometriosis Day, established in 2014 to draw attention to a disease that, in some cases, can be highly incapacitating for those who live with it. 

Worldwide, approximately 190 million adults and adolescents assigned female at birth (between 2 and 10% of the general female population) are affected by endometriosis during their reproductive years, although some may suffer from it beyond the menopause. 

In Italy, 10-15% of fertile women are affected by endometriosis: the condition affects approximately 30-50% of people with difficulty conceiving. There are at least 3 million confirmed diagnoses.

The peak occurs between the ages of 25 and 35, but the condition can also appear in younger age groups. The diagnosis often comes after a long and costly struggle, most often experienced with serious psychological repercussions.

The Obstetrics and Gynaecology Clinic of the Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences conducts a great deal of research on the disease in collaboration with various facilities of the University of Trieste, the IRCCS Burlo Garofolo and other Italian and foreign research bodies.

A study was recently published in an important scientific journal in which the presence of many metals of environmental derivation in endometriosis tissue was demonstrated, which could contribute to the development of the disease. 

Study by Pascolo, L.; Pachetti, M.; Camillo, A.; Cernogoraz, A.; Rizzardi, C.; Mikus, K.V.; Zanconati, F.; Salome, M.; Suarez, V.T.; Romano, F.; Zito G., Gianoncelli A., Ricci G. Detention and mapping of iron and toxic environmental elements in human ovarian endometriosis: A suggested combined role. Science of the Total Environment 2023, 864, 161028.