The Wastereduce project, which involves Croatia and Italy as part of the VI European Territorial Cooperation Program Interreg 2021-2027, was presented at the University of Trieste.

The green project, lasting two and a half years, involves collaboration between research institutes, local administrations, environmental protection and resource management agencies, non-governmental organizations, and service companies. The goal is to improve waste management in protected areas and Natura 2000 Network sites. The initiative aims to implement joint actions to combat waste abandonment using innovative detection and intervention methods.

Eight partners from the regions of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, and Istria are participating in the project: the Institute of Agriculture and Tourism of Poreč, the consortium leader, the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Trieste, the Istrian Region, the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Veneto, the managing body of the natural reserves of the Istrian region "Natura Histrica", the Association for Nature, Environment, and Sustainable Development "Sunce" based in Croatia, ETRA SpA - a benefit company based in Bassano del Grappa (Treviso), and Etifor – Valuing Nature, a spin-off of the University of Padua.

Wastereduce, funded with over 1.6 million euros by the European Union, was created in response to recent alarming data provided by the European Community. This data predicts that, in a "business-as-usual" scenario, the amount of plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems will nearly triple by 2040, rising from the current 9-14 million tons per year (2016 data) to a forecast of 23-37 million tons per year.

It is estimated that about 80% of this marine debris comes from land-based sources: waste inadequately managed in landfills, litter left on beaches and coastal areas, river runoff, coastal tourism, and waste directly disposed of at sea (e.g., illegal dumping or accidental release from ships).

These materials, especially plastics, cause severe economic damage, impacting coastal communities, tourism, navigation, and fishing. They also pose health risks to humans and biodiversity, affecting public health and resources like drinking water.

The project's approach aims to minimize human activities' pressure on protected areas and Natura 2000 sites by proposing solutions to reduce waste dispersal and developing cross-border cooperation mechanisms to monitor and identify critical areas where waste accumulation requires targeted management efforts. Complementary studies in behavioral psychology will be conducted to understand how to promote habit changes among those who use protected areas and may unknowingly contribute to environmentally harmful actions.

According to Dr. Barbara Sladonja of the Institute of Agriculture and Tourism of Poreč, the project coordinator, "Wastereduce aims to involve as many local entities, institutions, and individual citizens as possible from the outset, who can actively support societal change towards a more sustainable and low-impact future."

The use of advanced technologies, including satellite imagery, will be crucial for necessary territorial analysis to optimize waste collection points. "An important challenge we will face is understanding how the development of artificial intelligence can support remote monitoring systems to control waste accumulation in areas of natural value," says Professor Giovanni Bacaro, Professor of Environmental and Applied Botany at the University of Trieste and project referent for the Department of Life Sciences.

Finally, citizen involvement at various levels will be essential for the project's success. Education and awareness actions will focus on citizens, whose feedback will guide new waste management policies by the project partners. These policies are expected to translate into concrete actions to reduce, mitigate, and prevent pollution from waste in our natural reserves, rivers, and seas. Another result will be increased attractiveness for visitors to natural reserves, thereby enhancing the tourism value of the involved territories.

UniTS TREELAB has been enhanced with a laser ablation (€ 366,000) and a methylmercury analyser (€ 72,000), thanks to a partnership with ASUGI and PNRR-PNC funding for the analysis of environmental and occupational trace pollutants. 

The laser ablation enables the analysis of metals on surfaces and other substrates, while the methylmercury analyser checks the presence of mercury in water, air and hair.       

The new instruments add to the laboratory's equipment, enabling in-depth investigations into heavy metals in the region. By collaborating between doctors, chemists and geologists different skills have been combined to strengthen and deepen environmental and workplace investigations.

Also thanks to PNC-PRR funding, a further piece of equipment is being acquired that will enable the identification of trace organic molecules and make the ASUGI-UniTS laboratories complete.

TREELAB is a collaboration between the Clinical Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Geosciences. The activities within the laboratories are carried out and coordinated by Professors Francesca Larese Filon, former Director of the Department of Integrated Activities for Health and Safety, Gianpiero Adami, Matteo Crosera and Stefano Covelli, together with their collaborators and technicians.
 

As the 50th Social Week of Catholics hosted in Trieste came to a close, Pope Francis received a UniTS delegation composed of students, young researchers from the University's ten departments accompanied by their heads of department, the Rector, Vice-Rector Valter Sergo, the Director General and a representation from the governance.

The meeting, in the spirit of the theme of the Social Week, "At the Heart of Democracy," aimed to emphasize confidence in the ability of young people - engaged in training in the various disciplines that create universitas - to build a more just and solidarity-based society also through the development of knowledge. The historic meeting, experienced in the UniTS Centenary year, will also be remembered by the Pope's signature on the University's Book of Honour. 

PHOTO (Credit: Vatican Media)

Holy Pope Francis signs UniTS Book of Honour

Political Science and Administration student Ilaria Corazza won a gold medal at the World University Rowing Championships hosted in Rotterdam, bringing UniTS to the top step of the podium.

The young athlete, together with Gaia Colasante of the University of Turin, triumphed in the women's doubles final, which took place in the Willem-Alexander Baan lake, thanks to a resounding stretch that started around 1,000 meters, first putting the Lithuanian crew behind and then overtaking the Polish team.

In the third leg of the race, the Italian pair increased the gap, holding the lead until the finish line with a 1.19-second advantage over the Polish team.

Ilaria Corazza adds this world championship title to an already rich record of achievements that counts an overall World title in the Lightweight four pair, a world title and an under-23 European title in the same speciality, as well as the recent victory at the University Games 2023 in the women's doubles.

Ilaria, who once again carried the colours of the Italian Rowing Federation and the University of Trieste, receives compliments from the entire academic community for the extraordinary talents she continues to demonstrate as an athlete and for the consistency and determination with which she reconciles her sporting and university commitments.

The Foiling SuMoth Challenge is a student competition in which the teams' goal is to design, produce and sail the most sustainable and efficient International Moth (IMCA) foiling boat. 

The recently concluded regatta series in Malcesine was characterised by thunderstorms and unstable wind. The bad weather and unforeseen events put the Audace Sailing Team to the test but... the results were not lacking! 

The UniTS team's boat, BAI-Flyng Lina 2.0, won Stage 1, the part of the competition where sailors and designers judge the quality of the project in its entirety and beyond. This Stage also includes simulation, concept, design, life cycle assessment (LCA) and communication and marketing activities. 

BAI-Flying Lina 2.0 proved to be the fastest boat in the fleet, registering a speed of no less than 22 knots (40km/h) and thus also securing victory in Stage 2 where, along with performance, the construction phase is also assessed.

On 7th July, Pope Francis will visit Trieste, at the conclusion of the 50th Social Week of Catholics in Italy, which the city has been hosting since 3rd July. After meeting the Delegates, and before reaching Piazza Unità for the celebration of the Holy Mass, the Pope will also receive some students and young researchers from the ten Departments of the University of Trieste, accompanied by the Directors, the Rector, the Director General and a governance delegation. In the spirit of the theme of the Social Week, ‘At the heart of Democracy’, the meeting aims to underline everyone's confidence in the ability of young people - engaged in training in the various disciplines that create universitas - to build a fairer and more united society also through the development of knowledge. The University will experience this meeting in the centenary year of its foundation, which will also be commemorated by the Pope's signing of the University's Book of Honour. 

UniTS is also present in the rich programme of the Social Week:

5th July, 17:30 - SQUARES OF DEMOCRACY 

OUTSKIRTS: cities seen from the margins (in Piazza Ponterosso) 

Speakers: Eugenia Carfora, Giovanni Carrosio (UniTS), Mario Vatta 

LOCAL INSTITUTIONS: democracy on trial for communities (in Piazza Hortis) 

Speakers: Gregorio Arena, Federica Fanesi, Roberto Louvin (UniTS) 

FAMILIES: ties, relationships and community (in Piazza della Borsa) 

Speakers: Mariolina Ceriotti Migliarese, Adriano Bordignon, Renata Longo (UniTS) and Francesco Pavanello 

5th July, 15:00 – 17:00 DIALOGUES ON GOOD PRACTICES

Thinking well to act better: university, research and the third mission (Chamber of Commerce, Piazza della Borsa 14) 

Speakers: Caterina Falbo (UniTS), representatives from Università Cattolica Milan, LUMSA Rome and Università Europea Rome)

6th July, 17:30 - 5th July, 17:30 – SQUARES OF DEMOCRACY 

CITIZENSHIP: migration and rights in today's Italy (in Piazza Ponterosso) 

Speakers: Giovanni La Manna, Abdoulaye Mbodj, Roberta Altin (UniTS) 

PREPARING FOR POLITICS: participating, debating, deciding (in Piazza della Borsa) 

Speakers: Giovanni Diamanti, Rosangela Maino, Mattia Zulianello (UniTS)

The offer of degree programmes at the University of Trieste is about to be enriched. Starting from the 2024-2025 academic year, two new master's degrees will be opened, characterised by a markedly international and professionalising perspective, entirely in English: Engineering for the energy transition and European Policies for digital, ecological and social transitions, both aimed at training tomorrow's professionals in the field of digital, ecological, social and energy transition.

‘Both master's degrees deal with transition processes for which new models and professions need to be developed,’ explains Rector Roberto Di Lenarda. ‘They are also multidisciplinary, because the ecological, energy and digital transition also requires legal and political preparation. They train professional figures with innovative specialisations in demand in the world of work and are complementary, focusing respectively on the energy transition and its integrated governance at EU level.’

Engineering for energy

An international novelty in the form of an interclass course with two curriculums: Sustainable: building design and technology and Sustainable industrial systems, it intends to offer advanced preparation in the field of energy transition in both the building and industrial fields.

Students will acquire design skills that are economically, environmentally and socially sustainable and will know how to choose the most suitable technologies, materials, sources and energy vectors. They will be able to integrate building and energy systems with electricity grids, storage systems and sustainable mobility.

The fields in which the new figure will be able to move are diverse: freelance professionals and design offices operating in the fields of construction, thermal engineering, energy efficiency, production systems and use of energy carriers and renewable energy sources, companies and private public bodies in the process of adapting building systems and plants, industries for the production and management of energy components, plants and systems, industries operating in the production of building envelopes, companies that design, install and manage systems using energy carriers in the industrial, commercial and residential sectors, companies that provide services in the energy field, companies and public or private bodies that are obliged to appoint an energy manager and research bodies that develop projects related to energy transition.

Energy storage devices represent one of the enabling technologies for the transition to renewable energy sources. ELISA, an ad-hoc laboratory serving a multidisciplinary group of engineers, chemists, computer scientists, economists and social scientists, also enriches the Engineering for the energy transition degree course. ELISA complements two existing laboratories at the University of Trieste, dedicated to ‘Photovoltaics’ and ‘Smart Grid and Electric Mobility’, strategically increasing the university's ability to position itself among the most active research institutions in the field of renewable energy sources and sustainable mobility. ELISA has innovative instrumentation and offers platforms for rapid prototyping and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulations. 

To access the Engineering for the energy transition course at the Department of Engineering and Architecture, students must hold one of the following qualifications: a three-year degree in the industrial or civil and environmental engineering classes; alternatively, they must have gained at least 18 credits (CFU) in the mathematics area, 9 credits in the physics area, 6 credits in the chemistry area, 6 credits in the electrical area, 6 credits in the energy area, 6 credits in the civil area or in architecture - 15 if the student intends to enrol in the Sustainable building design and technology curriculum. The student must also show a graduation mark of 95/110 or higher, otherwise they will have to undergo a cognitive interview. The course also requires knowledge of the English language at a level of at least B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference.

European Policies for digital, ecological and social transitions

Running from next September, the course aims to provide future generations with a multidisciplinary background in the governance of digital, ecological and social transitions.

Students, future civil servants in public administrations, project managers and consultants, will acquire advanced knowledge and skills in analysis, management and evaluation of European policies, programmes and projects, together with in-depth thematic knowledge on political, social and legal tools and mechanisms to govern, in an integrated way, aspects related to environmental sustainability, digital impacts, social cohesion (e.g. comparative law of the environment and digital technologies, analysis of open data and big data, participatory design techniques for sustainable and inclusive innovation). This combination of skills will make graduates of the course capable of using the tools and resources of the European Union in the most effective way to govern digital, ecological and social transitions.

There are also specific entry requirements for the course in European Policies for digital, ecological and social transitions at the Department of Political and Social Sciences. Students must hold one of the following degrees: a bachelor's degree in the classes of Political Science and International Relations, Administrative and Organisational Sciences, Economics, Social Sciences for Cooperation, Development and Peace; alternatively, they must have completed a total of 24 credits in Law, Economics and Statistics (at least 6 credits of the total 24), Political Science and Sociology. The course also requires knowledge of the English language at a level of at least B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference.

This morning saw the start of the first session of the 2024 Summer Training Modules, the orientation initiative aimed at students who have completed their third and fourth year of 'high school'.

This year's edition opens with record numbers, starting with an even broader (18 modules compared to last July's 12) and more multidisciplinary training offer, but above all for the number of school students involved: 702 enrolled, almost 200 more than the first 2023 session, with a 40% increase.

The initiative confirms its attractiveness for high school students not only from our area: almost 40% of those enrolled come from outside Trieste and 10% from outside the region. Boys and girls from Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Lombardy, Apulia, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, Umbria and Veneto, as well as from abroad (Argentina, Ethiopia, India and Venezuela) will also be getting to know UniTS.

The opening ceremony took place in the Aula Magna of the H3 building with the participation of Giulio Xhaet, partner and digital strategist at Newton S.p.A, with an interactive speech entitled 'Da grande' (When I grow up).

During his speech, Xhaet touched on several topics, including what questions to ask yourself to find your career path and how to increase your skills through personal passions.

The Italian Chemical Society awarded prof. Maurizio Prato the prestigious Raffaele Piria Medal, which is awarded to a scientist who has honored Italian Organic Chemistry and of it represents a continuity in its most distinguished traditions. 

The Medal was awarded to prof. Maurizio Prato for his pioneering vision that has elevated fundamental studies in Organic Synthesis to interdisciplinary frontier research with exceptional scientific impact and great biomedical and technological potential in multiple areas of regenerative medicine and nanomedicine and for the conversion of solar energy with sustainable processes and materials bringing luster to the Italian School of Organic Chemistry and Organic Materials.

Maurizio Prato, National Member of the Academy of the Lincei, former full professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Trieste, is Ikerbasque Research professor at CIC biomaGUNE, in Donostia San Sebastian, Spain. Prof. Prato is known worldwide for his innovative research on carbon-based functional materials for applications in materials science, nanomedicine and catalysis. 

The Raffaele Piria Medal, which will be awarded on monday, august 26, 2024 during the "XXVIII National Congress of the Italian Chemical Society" event in Milan, crowns this prestigious scientific career.

This Medal joins the Ciamician Medal obtained by dr. Giacomo Filippini and the National Award for Best Doctoral Thesis in Organic Chemistry by dr. Beatrice Bartolomei, crowning the success of Prof. Maurizio Prato's research group and the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences in general.

The thirteenth edition of Trieste Next, the Festival of Scientific Research, will take place from 27th to 29th September 2024 with a focus on ‘The Horizons of Intelligence. Knowledge between human beings and technologies.’ is once again counting on the ‘Volunteer Project’ to allow all UniTS students to  take part in the event as active participants. 

The experience of being a volunteer at Trieste Next is extremely engaging, allowing you to immerse yourself the event directly, to discover the stimulating system of scientific research in our area and to be inspired by working in contact with scientists and disseminating their projects, involving children and adults. 

Volunteers will support the activities of the exhibitors and the workshops planned in Piazza Unità d'Italia, collaborate in welcoming visitors and managing the rooms where the conferences and events are held, and act as social ambassadors to help tell the story of the event on digital communication channels.   

This role requires passion, communication and interpersonal skills, empathy, and a desire to have fun and learn!   

At the end of the experience, not only will each volunteer be issued with a certificate of participation, but UniTS will also award 1 ECTS/CFU to students for 25 hours of volunteering. To obtain the recognition of the credits you will have to present the certificate of participation, which will be issued at the end of the event, to the Didactic Secretariat of your Department. 

To apply, fill in the FORM by 8 p.m. on 30th June 2024. 

For students interested in working in a specific research group, we remind you that there is a specific field in the application form where you can indicate the name of your reference lecturer.

Come and be part of our team, we are waiting for you!

All info 

Knowledge Dissemination Office, University of Trieste: volontari@units.it; tel. 040558 6124 or 6143