Sunday 11th February is the worldwide celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. On this anniversary, the University of Trieste will join the global community in promoting the equal participation of women and girls in scientific fields of study and work. 

Despite the progress of recent years, the gender gap remains, particularly in so-called STEM fields. Globally, women represent only 28% of researchers and 35% of graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. In Italy, the situation is only slightly better, with 33% of researchers being female along with 41% of graduates.

According to Eurostat data, women employed in scientific fields are a minority throughout Europe, at around 41%. In Italy, the figure stands at 34%, with 400,000 female scientists and engineers, almost half that of their male colleagues (760 thousand). 

Another critical element concerns the wage gap, which still persists today. Worldwide, women earn on average 20% less than men employed in STEM fields. In Italy, the gap is 15%. 

However, signs of change can be seen. The number of women pursuing scientific careers is steadily increasing, albeit at different rates depending on the disciplines. In Italy, for example, the pecentage of women among PhDs in computer engineering has risen from 17% in 2000 to 33% in 2020.

The University of Trieste believes that gender equality in science is fundamental for the development of society and the scientific community. It also renews its commitment to take every action possible to promote inclusive environments for all 'women in science' and to raise awareness of how women and girls can contribute to the scientific and technological progress of society.

On 10 February, the University of Trieste will join in the commemoration events organised for the National Memorial Day of the Exiles and Foibe, established to preserve and renew the memory of the victims of the foibe massacres and the exodus of Istrians and Dalmatians after World War II, within the complex story of the Italian eastern border.

In recent decades, the University of Trieste, has distinguished itself for the development of a strand of historical research focussing on the violence and persecution that occurred along the Adriatic border before and after World War II. This is with particular thanks to the academic rigour of Professor Raoul Pupo who has carefully reconstructed and analysed events within the period.

In recent years, interest in the eastern border has grown. As a result, studies concerning the border have contributed to an increased understanding of the events that affected the Julian-Dalmatian populations. Thorough and nuanced research in this area is essential if we are to avoid simplifications and the consequent risks of dangerous instrumentalization.

Research activity into events at the eastern border has also involved a comparison between Italian and Slovenian historiography and has made it possible to give space to the memory of the Istrian, Fiuman and Dalmatian diaspora community publicly where such space was previously denied. In this way, we continue to work towards the completion of a reconciliation process aimed at overcoming the conflicts of the 20th century.

Twenty years after the institution of the National Memorial Day of the Exiles and Foibe, we want to stress the importance of knowledge and respect for memory in order to consolidate a culture of peace, strengthen the European spirit and build the future together.

The path ahead is clearly shown in the image of the Presidents of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, and of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, immortalised hand in hand during an official visit to the foiba of Basovizza in July 2020.

The Maine Building of University of Trieste will be illuminated with the tricolour on the evenings of 9, 10 and 11 February.

FameLab, the science communication talent show, is returning to Trieste. The local selection for the international contest will take place next Friday 5th April from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Luttazzi Hall (Magazzino 26, Porto vecchio). As always, the challenge will be to describe a research topic in a clear and engaging way in just 3 minutes to an audience of non-experts, without the aid of projections, graphics or videos. Applications must be filled in online by Thursday 28th March 2024.

Contestants from both STEM or medical fields and the humanities (Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics, Philosophy, Geography, Law, Linguistics, Literature, Psychology, Political Science, Sociology, History and Art History) are eligible.

The local selection is organised by Science Centre Immaginario Scientifico, the University of Trieste, the University of Udine, the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) and the Municipality of Trieste, as part of the ‘Trieste City of Knowledge’ Memorandum of Understanding. 

The people ranked first and second in the local selection will receive a cash prize, take part in an international masterclass to be held in Perugia in June, and then in the national final scheduled for September and October. The winner of FameLab Italia 2024 will gain access to the FameLab International final, scheduled in November, where they will face other competitors from all over the world.

A free training session has been planned for all the Trieste competitors to better prepare for the challenge. The meeting, organised by FameLab Italia, will take place remotely on the Zoom platform on 21st March 2024, (4pm-8pm). All eligible researchers interested in joining FameLab can participate, even if they haven’t registered yet. For more info on registration, please write to info@immaginarioscientifico.it

The University main building will be illuminated in blue and orange on World Cancer Day, celebrated on 4th February.

The event aims to raise awareness of the disease and to educate people on its prevention. The theme chosen for the 2024 edition is 'Close the Care Gap - Everyone deserves access to cancer care'.

Half of the world's population lacks access to essential health services and, when it comes to cancer, many are denied basic treatment. Internationally, people seeking cancer care face several barriers: insufficient income or education, geographic location and discrimination based on ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability and lifestyle. The most disadvantaged groups are also more likely to be exposed to a range of other risk factors, such as smoking, an unhealthy diet or environmental triggers.  

This is an equality gap, which costs lives.

2023 Italian data.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon and the European Network of Cancer Registries (ENCR) estimate that in 2023 there were 395,000 new diagnoses.: 208,000 in men and 187,000 in women. In the last 3 years, there has been a further increase of more than 18,400 cases. These figures illustrate a growing trend and raise questions for which there are presently no comprehensive answers. In 2023, the most frequent cancers were breast cancer (55,900), rectal cancer (50,500), lung cancer (44,000), prostate cancer (41,100) and bladder cancer (29,700). 

Healthy lifestyles are an important defence against the disease. 40% of cases could be avoided by eliminating or reducing risk factors such as smoking, obesity, alcohol and physical inactivity. A cross-sectional approach is therefore needed, by implementing prevention through healthy lifestyle, early diagnosis and participation in screening programmes.

University of Trieste, Department of Engineering and Architecture

DEGREE COURSE IN ARCHITECTURE

Laboratory of Architecture and Construction Integrated Design – RRR Lab

VillageGo2025! Workshop Exhibition. Prefigurations for Gorizia - Nova Gorica European Capital of Culture 2025

Curated by: Luigi Di Dato, Alessio Bortot, Thomas Bisiani, Sonia Prestamburgo, Adriano Venudo

When: 19th January 2024 – 16th February 2024 (during building opening hours)

Where: Room 401, 4th floor, via Alviano 18, Gorizia Campus, 34170 Gorizia

The VILLAGE GO2025! Workshop was held last week as part of the Integrated Design Laboratory - RRR Lab for the degree course in Architecture at the University of Trieste. During the workshop, students produced a masterplan and projects for Gorizia - Nova Gorica European Capital of Culture 2025.

The students, guided by teachers and experts of national and international renown, worked on four possible prefigurations for an “urban village” in the cross-border urban system Gorizia and Nova Gorica. This urban village will welcome visitors to and host events and activities at the European Capital of Culture event. The four urban prefigurations were developed in the form of a masterplan and placed on a large-scale model of the two cities. The prefigurations propose architectural solutions for 21 specific sites across three themes (guest reception, entertainment and shows) and are displayed in 21 illustrative panels which detail the architectural and functional solutions. The solutions developed by students look to the future while maintaining a focused and systematic approach.

The projects consider not only the present, i.e. the preparation of an 'event-city', but also the future, the post-event, or rather, what will be left after the event and what effects this will have on the future of Gorizia and Nova Gorica. The possible implications for the city, its architecture, infrastructure, landscape and the re-use and valorisation of its existing heritage were discussed in a public event dedicated to technical debate and theoretical reflection. In attendance were lecturers from the UNITS Laboratory based in Gorizia (Thomas Bisiani, Alessio Bortot, Luigi Di Dato, Sonia Prestamburgo and Adriano Venudo), professors from the Milan Polytechnic University (Elvio Manganaro), the University of Naples Federico II (Alberto Calderoni) and representatives of various local authorities directly involved in the organisation of the Capital of Culture 2025 event (Municipality of Gorizia, Order of Engineers of Gorizia, Order of Architects of Gorizia and EGTC).

The designs from the workshop are displayed in an exhibition in via Alviano 18, room 401, Gorizia Campus. The exhibition is open to visitors until 16 February 2024.

For more information, please write to:

avenudo@units.it

tbisiani@units.it

The feasibility study for 5G-SITACOR - the CAM-based 5G corridor between Italy and Slovenia - has officially launched.

The project is part of the EU programme CEF (Connecting Europe Facility) and, more specifically, the CEF-DIG-2022-5GCORRIDORS programme, which funds growth, employment and competitiveness through investments in infrastructure located in key areas among EU countries. CEF is coordinated by HADEA, the European Health and Digital Executive Agency.

The study will last 6 months (until July 2024) and will include the analysis of existing arterial roads and telecommunications infrastructure, as well as assessments of the investments needed to achieve CAM 5G coverage in the corridor between Italy and Slovenia. 

The ultimate goal of the study is to define the parameters necessary for the subsequent implementation of an infrastructure dedicated to the development of smart digital services for territories and communities, to be applied to businesses, schools, hospitals, cities, and highways.

The border area between Italy and Slovenia is one of the 5G corridors identified - by the EU - for enhanced coverage and connectivity, being the crossroads of several routes (national, regional and local), serving both rail and port infrastructure and being, at the same time, an area with many obstacles such as mountains and road tunnels. 

The 5G-SITACOR project was entrusted by the EU to a pool of diverse and complementary entities: the Friuli Venezia-Giulia Region (project coordinator); the Port of Koper; ANAS and DARS (Italian and Slovenian highway operators); Retelit and Telekom Slovenia (telecommunications operators); the University of Trieste; and the University of Ljubljana.

The cost of the study is €600K, with the EU funding over €300K through grants.

The Molecular Biology Laboratory in the local health authority’s (ASUGI) Anatomical Pathology Department has obtained EMQN 2023 Certification. The European Molecular Genetics Quality Network (EMQN) awarded this important European certification in recognition of the laboratory’s activities in the analysis of prognostic-predictive markers in the field of oncology.

The accreditation is crucial for authorising the purchase of very expensive drugs for patients.

In the past, ASUGI could only evaluate a small number of markers for a few types of tumours. The accreditation increases the number of markers and tumours the lab can analyse, guaranteeing more treatment possibilities.

This year, the Anatomical Pathology Laboratory has seen a significant increase in activity, and by the beginning of February 2024, the new state-of-the-art instrumentation that also allows for second-line oncological examinations should be up and running.

‘What has been achieved in terms of clinical oncology diagnostic services, provided for patients, has been made possible thanks to collaboration between hospital and university staff from the various laboratories within the Anatomical Pathology Department, allowing for an optimisation of the material used in analyses. The molecular laboratory staff have also played an essential role, contributing to the execution and interpretation of tests and working harmoniously with the support of clinical professionals across the various sectors involved. In addition, in this field, the Anatomical Pathology Department has been able to count on a sizeable contribution from LILT (an Italian foundation funding research into tumours) to equip itself with state-of-the-art equipment and research funding in order to develop the field of tumour biomarkers in liquid biopsy,' says Prof. Fabrizio Zanconati, professor of Anatomical Pathology at UniTS and Director of the Pathological Anatomy and Histology Unit.

On Saturday, 27 January, 20,000 AIRC volunteers will distribute in the squares little red oranges grown in Italy, honey and orange marmalade. The contributions collected will be used to fund cancer research.

The 2024 arancedellasalute.it campaign invites people to take concrete action to prevent cancer, with their lifestyle, and to make it more curable by supporting research. A mobilisation in which tens of thousands of students and supporters are also participating.

Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle in reducing the risk of cancer. Up to 40 per cent of new cancer cases are potentially preventable or more curable when action is taken on modifiable risk factors through individual behaviour: not smoking, physical activity, choosing a healthy, balanced diet, and adhering to recommended screening for early diagnosis.

Data on the population living in Italy have shown that about one third of adults have risk factors for developing cancer. About 33% of people are overweight and 10% obese, 31% are sedentary and 24% smoke. The most worrying numbers concern school children: about 39% are overweight and, of these, 17% are obese. These numbers are among the highest in Europe, mainly due to insufficient physical activity and a diet that has moved away from the principles of the Mediterranean diet.

UniTS participates in AIRCAMPUS

Since last year, UniTS has also been part of AIRCampus, the project dedicated to university students to introduce them to the reality of AIRC and spread awareness of the 'cancer' problem.

In the 2023/24 academic year, the university is organising 8 lectures on topics related to the Foundation's activities and, at the same time, of interest to students on various study courses.

The UniTS degree courses involved in AIRCampus are: Medicine and Surgery; Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics; Economics and Business Management; Physics; Functional Genomics; Primary Education Sciences; Scientific Computing and the Master's Degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Materials Engineering.

AIRC supports researchers under 40

Once again this year, AIRC is making more than 19 million euros available for talented oncology researchers under the age of 40, activating specific calls for proposals to accompany them at different stages of their careers.

This page has been temporarily translated using AI. A revised translation by the University Language Centre (CLA) will be uploaded soon.

The University of Trieste, on the occasion of Holocaust Memorial Day celebrated on January 27, commemorates the victims of the Holocaust, renewing its commitment to transmit knowledge of racial and political persecutions and genocide to the younger generation, perpetrated by the Nazi regime of the Third Reich and their allies.

Knowing and remembering to fight forgetfulness and indifference.

"Indifference is more guilty than violence itself," said Liliana Segre, a survivor of deportation to the Auschwitz concentration camp and a witness to horror. "It is the moral apathy of those who turn the other way: it happens today towards racism and other horrors of the world. Memory is valuable as a vaccine against indifference," urges the life senator, to whom the University of Trieste conferred an honorary degree in 2008.

Among the initiatives planned by the university to celebrate Holocaust Memorial Day, on Monday, January 22, the Department of Humanities will organize a meeting titled "History and exile: the case of the series 'Transatlantic,'" which will take place at 5:30 pm at Androna Campo Marzio 10, in the "Arduino Agnelli" Hall. The event will discuss the transposition of the themes of rescuing Jews in cinema and historical television series, starting from the famous television series dedicated to the events of Jewish refugees in occupied France during World War II. The discussion will involve University of Trieste professors Tullia Catalan and Massimiliano Spanu, along with Leonardo Gandini, who teaches History of Cinema at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and has authored numerous publications on classical and contemporary cinema, with a particular focus on Hollywood production.

On Tuesday, January 23, at 5:30 pm, at the Museum of the Jewish Community of Trieste Carlo and Vera Wagner, Tullia Catalan, professor of Contemporary History, and Alessandro Carrieri, research fellow, will discuss with Giorgio Fabre, a scholar of twentieth-century political history and essayist, on the state of research on fascist anti-Semitism.

On Thursday, January 25, 2024, at the Teatro Miela in Trieste, the tenth edition of the multidisciplinary conference "Living with Auschwitz" will take place, held within the framework of the agreement between the University of Trieste and the cultural association Stazione Ernesto Nathan Rogers. At 3 pm, after the greetings from academic authorities, Miriam Spizzichino, the niece of Settimia Spizzichino, the only woman to survive the deportation to Auschwitz of 1023 civilians of Jewish origin, will open the proceedings. The event will include presentations by UniTS professors Mauro Barberis (IusLit), Sergia Adamo (DiSU), Giuseppe Ieraci (DiSPeS), Edoardo Milotti (DF), Sabina Passamonti (DSV), Francoise Ghislaine Favart (IusLit), Giovanni Fraziano, and Maurizio Prato, as well as the director of EUT Mauro Rossi. The event will be livestreamed.

The catalog of the exhibition "December 7, 1943: Destination Lager," in which the Department of Humanities participated, will be presented on January 31 at 5 pm at the Museo Revoltella Auditorium Marco Sofianopulo (via Diaz 27). The publication recounts the ongoing exhibition at the Risiera di San Sabba until June 9 and gathers all the texts and archival and photographic materials, integrating them with additional documentation, video interview transcriptions, names of deportees, and an essential bibliography. The catalog, produced in Italian, Slovenian, and English, will be available for free download from the web pages of the Museo della Risiera di San Sabba – Monumento Nazionale. Professor Tullia Catalan will participate in the presentation.

The collaboration between the University of Trieste and the association Deina APS continues within the Promemoria Auschwitz project, which will be offered again in 2024. Forty-eight UniTS students have been selected to participate in a "memory journey" at the end of a preparatory course on the themes of European history in the first half of the twentieth century, the persecution of Jews, and the Holocaust. The journey, scheduled for late February, will take them to Krakow, with visits to the Schindler Factory Museum and the remains of the Jewish ghetto, and to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp.

The theme of Holocaust education is also the subject of a research grant activated by the Department of Humanities, which will continue in the coming years.

On Holocaust Memorial Day, January 27, the University of Trieste will illuminate the facade of the central building at Piazzale Europa in red.

This page has been temporarily translated using AI. A revised translation by the University Language Centre (CLA) will be uploaded soon.

Inaugurated two new laboratories in the field of quantum physics at the University of Trieste: the ArQuS - Artificial Quantum Systems Laboratory (VIDEO), where artificial quantum systems will be studied through the control of individual atoms, and the Quantum Communication and Information Laboratory (QCI - VIDEO), where research and technological development for new solutions in quantum communications over optical fiber and free space will be conducted.

The laboratories are located at the CNR premises in the Area Science Park, Basovizza campus, and are directed by Francesco Scazza, associate professor of material physics at the Department of Physics of UniTS, and Alessandro Zavatta, senior research scientist at the National Institute of Optics of CNR (INO-CNR).

These laboratories enrich the dedicated research facilities for the new master's curriculum in Quantum Science and Technologies, the curriculum in Material Physics, and the undergraduate Physics program. The University of Trieste boasts a recognized tradition in the field of quantum mechanics, supported by synergy with major international research institutions.

Friuli Venezia Giulia, and particularly Trieste with its university, plays a leading role in the field of quantum communications thanks to projects funded by the Region and coordinated by the University's "Quantum FVG" and "QuFree." The former aims to develop a regional fiber optic network for secure data transmission using quantum technology, with the associated QCI laboratory. The latter is an ambitious research program on quantum communication in the air and aims to pave the way for secure satellite connections.

ArQuS Laboratory - Cold atoms for quantum sciences and technologies

The ArQuS (Artificial Quantum Systems) Laboratory, the only one of its kind in Italy, is designed to create artificial quantum systems through precise control of individual ytterbium atoms. Through laser beams and magnetic fields, the atoms, identical by nature and very delicate, can be slowed in their movement and observed meticulously, offering a valuable "magnifying glass" for studying processes and phenomena otherwise inaccessible. This is made possible by state-of-the-art experimental equipment where atoms are isolated from the external environment and cooled to a temperature only a millionth of a degree above absolute zero, trapping them in literal traps based on laser light. Laser radiation, also a wave, if properly synchronized with the internal oscillation of the atom, can be used to control particles extremely precisely without destroying their quantum nature, but rather exploiting it for new technological applications.

Francesco Scazza, head of the laboratory, explains: "The quantum systems of cold atoms realized in the ArQuS laboratory can be used as prototypes for studying the interaction of a large number of quantum particles, creating so-called quantum simulators. Precise control over individual atoms can also be exploited to generate highly correlated states of matter, such as entangled states of many particles, an essential resource for future quantum computers and atomic clocks."

QCI Laboratory - Quantum networks for maximum security of information systems

The QCI laboratory serves research and technological development of new solutions for quantum communications over optical fiber and aims to train students in physics and engineering at the University of Trieste while collaborating with major research and training institutions in the field.

The field of quantum information, a new discipline born from the intersection of information science and quantum mechanics, is indeed a promising area that has seen significant progress in recent years.

Thanks to the instruments in the laboratory, which allow the generation of quantum cryptographic keys and experimentation with ultra-secure communications, researchers aim to lay the groundwork for creating true quantum networks for data manipulation and transmission capable of ensuring maximum security.

Angelo Bassi, full professor of theoretical physics, models, and mathematical methods at UniTS and coordinator of the projects that led to the creation of the laboratory, emphasizes: "While in traditional computer networks, data can be intercepted, in a quantum network, this is impossible: any intrusion would be immediately detected, a certainty guaranteed by the principles of quantum mechanics. Quantum communication systems have immense potential and strategic application scenarios in political and commercial contexts."

Alessandro Zavatta, head of the laboratory, adds: "Quantum communications represent an advanced and highly secure approach to information transmission, exploiting the peculiar characteristics of quantum physics. In our laboratory, thanks to the use of cutting-edge optical instrumentation, we control and manipulate individual photons, the building blocks of light, with extraordinary precision.

This ability to handle light at the level of single photons allows us to implement secure and inviolable communication schemes. In the QCI laboratory, we are currently developing innovative systems for the quantum distribution of cryptographic keys and for direct quantum communications, both in optical fiber and free space. It is encouraging to note that our commitment is not limited to countering current threats but extends to preventing potential risks arising from future technologies, such as the progress of quantum computers. By continuing on this path, we will contribute significantly to ensuring the security of communications even in the face of increasingly complex scenarios.