Once again this year UniTS has taken ‘a hop, skip and a jump for research’!

A blue wave of 300 runners took part in the Telethon 24x1 Hour Relay Race, now tradition, with representatives from the entire academic community. The race was held in Udine over the weekend of 30th November and 1st December.

The runners, grouped in teams, each ran a one-hour stretch on the route established by organisers in the historic centre of Udine.

From Piazzale Europa to Piazza I Maggio in Udine, the UniTS running team mobilised all members of the University of Trieste to participate in the initiative dedicated to charitable causes and raising awareness of the importance of research of rare genetic diseases.

Vice-Rector Valter Sergo ran part of the race and took the lead at the opening of the event, along with Director General Luciana Rozzini and four heads of department (Massimo Degrassi - DiSU, Ivan Donati - DSV, Stefano Parolai - MIGe and Donata Vianelli - DEAMS) and a large number of professors, technical and administrative staff and students, some even braving the cold night-time temperatures.

By taking part in this initiative, the University community reaffirmed its commitment to research and its support for public initiatives which have a profound impact on society.

Once again in this edition of the Telethon, the UniTS community were the most numerous, colourful and festive representation of Trieste.

Five UniTS PhD graduates were awarded € 3,000 each in the inaugural edition of the PHD Innovation Award, the prize designed to celebrate the merit, innovation and creativity of young scientists in the year of the University of Trieste’s 100th Anniversary.

The winners are:

Francesco Armillotta, PhD Course in Physics, with a thesis entitled ‘Mono and Bi-metallic Tetra Pyridyl Porphyrin Monolayers from Uhv to Near - Ambient Conditions’, supervisor Erik Vesselli;

Beatrice Bartolomei, PhD Course in Nanotechnology, with a thesis on ‘Carbon Nanodots: from Purification Strategies to Multifunctional Materials’, supervisor Maurizio Prato and coordinator Alberto Morgante;

Luca Grisetti, PhD Course in Molecular Biomedicine, with a thesis entitled ‘The role of Aurora Kinase A in the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and in the Regulation of Programmed Death - Ligand 1’, supervisors Claudio Tiribelli and Devis Pascut, coordinator Germana Meroni;

Silvia Mauri, PhD Course in Nanontechnology, with a thesis on ‘Operando Soft X - Ray Absorption Spectroscopy Applications for the Investigation of Surface Reactivity of Heterogeneous Catalysts for Methanol Valorization’, supervisor Piero Torelli, coordinator Alberto Mogante;

and

Paola Tesolin, PhD Course in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences, with a thesis on ‘Phenotypic High Throughput Screening Highlights Promising Molecules for the Treatment of SLC7A8 Dependent Age - Related Hearing LO’, speakers Paolo Gasparini and Giorgia Girotto, coordinator Paolo Gasparini.

The response from the call for applications for the first PHD Innovation Award was exceptional. Out of 220 eligible applicants, as many as 95 students applied (56% women), demonstrating their self-belief in the excellence of their work. 

The awards ceremony was opened with greetings from the Rector Roberto Di Lenarda, the Director of the UniTS Doctoral School Alessandro Baraldi, and speeches from the three external judges of the award: Maurizio Manzin, Professor at the University of Trento, with a speech on ‘Innovation and technoscience in the post-thinking era’, Silvia Gross, Professor at the University of Padova, with ‘Chemistry between past, present and future: a versatile tool for the green transition' and Anna Cereseto, Professor at the University of Trento, on ‘The genome editing revolution in the life sciences: from advanced therapies to the new agrifood’.

‘In recent years, UniTS has shown a firm commitment to strengthening higher education. Since 2019/2020, we have significantly increased the number of scholarships funded directly by the University, reaching almost 200 places in the latest call for applications for the 13 PhD courses,’ emphasised Prof. Baraldi. ’Not only have we increased the number of places available, but we have also seen an increase in course popularity. This year, for the 40th round of PhD grants, applications exceeded 1,000, marking an increase of 21% over the previous year and 53% over two years ago.’

In the photo: Prof. Alessandro Baraldi with the three winners present at the award ceremony

Over 4,000 Italian teams responded to the invitation made by Red Bull Basement, the international event that brings together a new generation of innovators ready to conceive, develop and launch their ideas with the acceleration of AI.

Innovators and emerging entrepreneurs from all over Italy presented new-generation ideas and solutions and, after examining all the entries, the national jury selected the winning idea: it is ‘BatterIT’ presented by Andrea Berti, a PhD student in Nanotechnology at UniTS, and Andrea Miotto, currently employed at Ferrari in the Marketing and Finance sector.

They will therefore represent Italy at the Red Bull Basement World Final in Tokyo from 2nd to 5th December 2024.

Despite the high quality of the finalist entries, which made the choice truly challenging, the jury was unanimous in awarding victory to BatterIT, an innovative hybrid motor that combines a sodium battery and a combustion engine.

Unlike lithium batteries, sodium batteries are made from abundant and low-cost materials such as salt and are fully recyclable, non-flammable and non-toxic to humans while maintaining their efficiency over a longer lifetime. Based on these advantages, BatterIT paves the way for greener, safer and more durable solutions in the electrified transport sector.

‘Our idea is unique because it focuses on an under-explored area that nevertheless presents great opportunities: the application of sodium batteries in the transport sector,’ the winners explain. ’Although this technology is rooted in decades of development and has significant potential, research in the automotive sector is still limited and few companies are actively working on its real possibilities.

‘BatterIT has the potential to transform the world of transport by directly addressing one of the most pressing needs in the automotive market: the demand for safer and more sustainable hybrid solutions. Sodium batteries, with their reliability, affordability, environmental safety and recyclability, offer an attractive alternative to traditional lithium technologies. By reducing dependence on scarce, expensive and polluting materials, they not only

make green energy more accessible but also achieve a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions during the production and extraction processes.

This makes our solution a game-changer in the world of sustainable mobility, able to accelerate the transition to cleaner and more inclusive energy systems,' they conclude.

The University of Trieste, with Prof. Claudia Cherubini, is the only Italian university invited to take part in the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) ‘Governance Day - Inclusive, equitable, and responsible land governance for awareness raising, legal and policy frameworks, partnership building and resource mobilisation.’ of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2nd to 13th December 2024 on the theme ‘Our Earth. Our Future'.

The UN Convention to Combat Desertification is the global reference for soil protection and one of the three major UN conventions together with those on climate and biodiversity. In this context, the COP is the annual summit of countries that have ratified the Convention, as well as the main decision-making body of the UNCCD.

Specifically, the UNCCD COP16 will be an important opportunity to strengthen global commitment and accelerate action to make land and communities more resilient to drought. Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the UNCCD, COP16 will also be the largest UN conference ever held and the first UNCCD COP to take place in the Middle East and North Africa region, which is intimately familiar with the impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought.

Claudia Cherubini is Associate Professor at the University of Trieste, Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland (Australia) and Adjunct Professor at the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS). With a degree and PhD in Civil Hydraulic Engineering and a fluent knowledge of four foreign languages, she has collaborated on research projects at the Geowissenschaftliches Zentrum der Universität Göttingen, the US Geological Survey and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She has held tenured positions at several universities in France, the UK and Australia. During her career, she has received numerous awards, including the Division Outstanding Young Scientists Award at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) and the XXIII edition of the Marisa Bellisario Prize in the category ‘Young Researchers and Innovation Talents.’ She has served as referee of the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) (France) and has been referee of the US Department of Defense for several years.

Federico Donelli, Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Trieste, was recently a guest at the Somali National University of Mogadisco (SNU), where he did a lecture for the students.

An official event in the academic field, Federico Donelli's lecture was the first by a visiting professor since the beginning of the Somali civil war, which has been taking place for over three decades.

In his speech, Donelli addressed recent political and security developments in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden area, with a particular focus on the constant intertwining of local, regional and global dimensions. Within this framework of general change, the area is being affected by local instability and fueled by regional and global rivalries and alliances.

Donelli deals with international security with a focus on the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, and for several years has concentrated on the Red Sea region. “Travelling frequently for research purposes, I have been several times to Ethiopia, Somalia, Somaliland and Kenya. The area is, more than ever, of high geostrategic importance not only as a result of the Gaza war, but also in preparation for future global balance in the Indo-Pacific", explains the UniTS professor.

The SNU, while operating in a context of conflict and economic and political instability, continues to promote education as key to providing a future for the country and many of its young people.

‘The situation in Mogadishu remains critical,’ says Donelli, ‘but the most important aspect is the population’s constant effort to take action against the crisis. This strength was evident among SNU colleagues and students who took an active part in the post-lecture debate.’

Professor Donelli’s lecture, introduced by SNU Rector Hassan Osman Ga’al, was also attended by Italian Ambassador Pier Mario Daccò Coppi and his staff, who expressed appreciation for the University of Trieste’s commitment to Somalia.

The UniTS teacher’s invitation is part of a growing cooperation between the University of Trieste and SNU, who have been connected since 2015 by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two universities.

The commitment of Italian cooperation in Somalia in the field of science diplomacy started with a series of projects launched around 2012 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project has worked with and still involves several Italian universities, including Sapienza University of Rome, Polytechnic University of Milan and the University of Pavia, and many others.

In the context of these projects, the mandate for Italian universities has always been that of the reconstruction and support of the Somali National University. UniTS has been specifically entrusted with its partnership with the Faculty of Economics. In this context, Italian universities have provided support through teaching materials, technology and skills transfers at various levels with SNU staff, from the Rector to the students. The current Rector of SNU, Hassan Osman Ga'al, visited the University of Trieste for a semester in 2018, while Somali students had the opportunity to attend courses offered by UniTS thanks to scholarships funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).

Now a new phase of connection with Somalia is starting, involving a move from national cooperation to regional cooperation. In February 2024, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and the University of Trieste were visited by the Rector of the SNU and a delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Education. It was composed of Somali parliamentarians and members of the SAGAL association, including members of the Somali diaspora, to discuss possible collaboration agreements.

In addition to opening up important academic opportunities, this new collaboration with our region is a welcome sign of continuity for many of the main teachers of the Somali University, including the current rector and his predecessor, who obtained their PhDs in Friuli Venezia Giulia and have maintained a strong link with the region which has welcomed them so openly in the past.

For the first time, direct evidence of the use of psychotropic substances in ancient Ptolemaic Egyptian rituals has been uncovered: researchers have uncovered details invisible to the naked eye inside a ritual vessel dating back over 2,000 years. 

The study, co-ordinated by Enrico Greco, Professor of Chemistry of the Environment and Cultural Heritage at the University of Trieste, with the collaboration of the Tampa Museum of Art and the University of South Florida, the University of Milan and Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, was published in the journal Scientific Reports (Nature Group) and supported by the European Research Infrastructure Consortium CERIC-ERIC.   

Based on direct scientific evidence, the study represents the first documented example of the intentional use of psychedelics in Egyptian rituals to induce dreamlike visions, meditative states and communication with the divine, and demonstrates the ancient Egyptians' sophisticated knowledge of natural resources and their effects on the human mind. Although hypotheses based on iconography and texts have been advanced in the past, this research provides concrete physical evidence. The findings also link these practices to wider Mediterranean and Near Eastern traditions, suggesting cultural exchanges that influenced the ritual and medical knowledge of ancient civilisations.

Enrico Greco, Professor of Chemistry of the Environment and Cultural Heritage at the University of Trieste and coordinator of the study, emphasises: ‘This discovery was only possible thanks to a highly multidisciplinary approach: by combining state-of-the-art scientific techniques with cultural, linguistic and historical analysis, we obtained information that traditional archaeology alone could not have provided. This underlines the power of interdisciplinary collaboration in solving the mysteries of antiquity.’

The research was carried out using advanced scientific techniques: proteomics, metabolomics, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy coupled to synchrotron light (SR µ-FTIR) and metabarcoding of plant DNA. Chiaramaria Stani, CERIC-ERIC researcher at Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste's SISSI unit, emphasises: ‘These analyses made it possible to identify the ceremonial content of the vase, although the residual traces were minimal, but well preserved in the porosity of the pottery.’  

I The vase is decorated with the head of the Egyptian god Bes, a grotesque but benevolent deity often used as a protective amulet for the home. Study has also allowed the deity to be attributed a mystical role, linked to altered states of consciousness and divinatory rituals. There are about twelve other vases depicting the god Bes. 

Traces of Peganum harmala (Syrian rue), Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea (blue water lily) and a plant of the genus Cleome, all known for their psychotropic or medicinal properties, were detected in the mixture analysed. These substances were combined with fermented liquids or other ingredients such as honey or royal jelly. Furthermore, analysis revealed the presence of human fluids, such as blood and mucous membrane proteins, suggesting that the jar was used in symbolic and transformative rituals, probably related to female fertility, through the attainment of altered states of consciousness.
 

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Study published in Scientific Reports

Multianalytical investigation reveals psychotropic substances in a ptolemaic Egyptian vase

Davide Tanasi1, Branko F. van Oppen de Ruiter2, Fiorella Florian3, Radmila Pavlovic4,5, Luca Maria Chiesa4, Igor Fochi6, Chiaramaria Stani7, Lisa Vaccari8, Dale Chaput9, Giorgio Samorini10, Alberto Pallavicini3, Sabrina Semeraro11, Anastasia Serena Gaetano11, Sabina Licen11, Pierluigi Barbieri11 & Enrico Greco11

1. Department of History, University of South Florida, 4202 E Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL, 33620, US
2. Tampa Museum of Art, 120 W Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa, FL, 33602, US
3. Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, via Licio Giorgieri 5, Trieste, 34127, Italy
4. Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Milan, via dell’Università 6, Lodi, 26900, Italy
5. ProMeFa, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, via dell’Olgettina 60, Milan, 20132, Italy
6. Thermo Fisher Scientific S.p.A., Rodano, Milan, 20090, Italy
7. CERIC-ERIC, S. S. 14 - km 163,5 in AREA Science Park, Basovizza, Trieste, 34149, Italy
8. Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., S.S. 14 - km 163,5 in AREA Science Park, Basovizza, Trieste, 34149, Italy
9. Department Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA
10. Independent Researcher, Bologna, Italy
11. Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, via Licio Giorgieri 1, Trieste, 34127, Italy

UniTS is one of the leading figures of the national PRO-BENE-COMUNE (i.e. for the common good) project, an initiative that involves nine Italian universities with the aim of tackling the challenges linked to the psychophysical wellbeing of university students in a holistic and multidisciplinary manner. The project aims to create a welcoming and inclusive university environment, thanks to psychological counselling, wellness promotion and awareness-raising activities on psychological distress, as well as a solid commitment to research.

Specifically, UniTS will recruit two new part-time psychologist-psychotherapists, with a minimum commitment of ten hours per week. A further three psychologists will be engaged in awareness-raising and training activities, thus expanding the offer of support and prevention. 

In addition, in January 2025, the University will launch a multidisciplinary research project on students' mental health concerns, identifying the main risk and vulnerability factors, as well as the protective factors that foster good psychological adaptation. A mental health information and education programme will also be implemented, aimed not only at students, but also at teaching and technical and administrative staff, with a focus on the prevention of addictions and the promotion of mental and physical wellbeing. The activities, which will start at the beginning of next year, will include film forums, sporting initiatives and social events.

The University has long been committed to promoting the well-being of those who study and work within its community. In particular, the Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics, and Statistics (DEAMS) has proven to be a leader in implementing various initiatives designed to support its students. These efforts aim to foster cohesion among the student body through peer support activities and assistance in academic pathways, ultimately creating a sense of well-being within the department.

In 2022, DEAMS established the role of Department Delegate for Student Relations, tasked with addressing students' needs and promoting activities focused on the well-being of the department’s student community. Since 2023, the Delegate has been supported by a new student Tutor for Student Relations, who is training in the field of psychology. This tutor provides a listening space for students dealing with issues related to their academic journey, study methods, or psychophysical well-being and university life. To date, the three tutors who have served in this role have engaged with over 35 students.

Against this background, on 27th November UniTS will host the workshop ‘Possibilities and Limits of Tutoring’, with the participation of Rosanna Ayton, an expert in inclusion and wellbeing, and Julia Pointon-Haas, head of counselling and wellbeing, both from King's College London. The event will focus on the role of tutoring in the university environment and will represent an opportunity for discussion and growth for the University, which once again demonstrates its ability to attract prestigious international collaborations and to position itself as a point of reference in promoting the well-being of the university community.

The event, promoted by DEAMS, will focus on the role of tutoring in the university environment and will serve as an opportunity for dialogue and growth for the University. Once again, it demonstrates its ability to attract prestigious international collaborations and position itself as a reference point in promoting the well-being of the university community.

The workshop will take place at 2:00 PM in the conference room of Building D (Economics) in Piazzale Europa and will be followed by a round table where the speakers will meet with working groups composed of students and staff from the University of Trieste.

A few days ago, Professor Gianfranco Dalla Barba, a lecturer at the University of Trieste for many years, unfortunately passed away prematurely.

Born in 1957, Dalla Barba was a scientist, neuropsychologist and, in his younger years, a top-level fencer who was an Olympic champion in saber fencing: an authentic example of a dual career.

As a scientist, he wrote and published more than 100 foundational studies in the field of memory disorders, consciousness, confabulations and Alzheimer's disease. He is also the author of two neuropsychological tests to assess confabulation (the Confabulation Screen, the Confabulation Battery).

After graduating in medicine and surgery (1985) and specialising in neurology at the University of Padua (1990), he obtained a PhD in neurological sciences at the University of Siena (1995) and later moved to France, where he became a first researcher at the INSERM in Paris (Chargé de Recherche de Première Classe).

In France he also worked as Attaché (consultant) at the Neurological Clinics of the Universities of Paris VI, Paris XII and Paris XIII. In 2007 he returned to Italy as Associate Professor of Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology at the University of Trieste, where he remained until 2023.

In his sporting career he achieved the most prestigious success for an athlete, winning the gold medal in the men's team sabre at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles with the Italian colours. Four years later, in Seoul, he stood on the Olympic podium again, winning bronze together with his teammates. In the same discipline, Dalla Barba also won three silver medals (one individual and two team) and two bronze (both team) at the World Championships.

As a university student, he also won four medals in three different editions of the Universiade: one gold, one silver and one bronze in the team sabre category and an individual bronze.

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which falls on 25th November, the Equal Opportunities Committee (CUG) of the University of Trieste is promoting a Focus Week to involve the university community and citizenship, with the aim of investigating the phenomenon from different perspectives and offering tools to know, train and inform.

According to the data of the Department of Public Security of the Ministry of the Interior in the first half of 2024, out of the total number of murders, 65% of the victims are men, but focusing the analysis on murders occurring in the family/relational sphere, the figure is reversed, since 65% of the victims are women; of these, 85% are at the hands of their partner or ex-partner.

The invitation to all women is not to underestimate any sign of psychological, economic or physical violence of which they are victims and to ask for help to get out of the condition of isolation and subjection in which they find themselves.

The young and very young are unfortunately involved in this phenomenon: the age of those who commit violence is low and a dramatic example of this is the case of group sexual violence, in which, in 2023, 65% of the alleged perpetrators were under 35 years of age: of these, about 25% were minors (14-17 years old), while a further 50% were in the still young 18-24 age bracket.

The Know, Train and Inform to Eliminate Violence Against Women Focus Week therefore intends to address young people such as university students at an early stage. Professors and lecturers from the University of Trieste's departments will explore themes such as violence against women, stereotypes, and inequalities during seminars. Once again this year, they will host the Seat Taken (Posto Occupato) initiative in UniTS classrooms, reaffirming the University's commitment to this cause.

‘Seat Taken’ symbolizes the remembrance of women who were victims of violence. Through the symbolic occupation of seats in lecture halls, it honours the memory of women who, before being killed by a husband, ex-partner, or lover, once occupied a seat in theatres, on trams, in schools, universities, and throughout society.

The Equal Opportunities Committee of the University of Trieste also promotes, in cooperation with other bodies and institutions in the area, a calendar of awareness-raising initiatives aimed at citizens, including

Stopping violence against women. Slovenia and Italy: comparing experiences

25th November 2024 at 11:00, Androna Baciocchi, Room B.

Speakers: 

Anna Campanile, VoceDonna Anti-Violence Centre, Pordenone, 

Delfina Di Stefano, Trieste Police Headquarters, 

Natalina Folla, University of Trieste, 

Jasna Podreka, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Patrizia Romito, University of Trieste

What ‘genre’ of violence?

27th November 2024 at 10:00, Bachelet Room, Building A, Piazzale Europa Campus.

Informative meeting for the student body organised in collaboration with the Student Council of the University of Trieste. 

Speakers:

Imma Tromba, President of the GOAP Anti-Violence Centre of Trieste

Francesca Pidone, counsellor at the University of Trieste. 

Introduced and coordinated by Maria Dolores Ferrara, President of the Equal Opportunities Committee of the University of Trieste

For information on how to participate in the scheduled activities, please write to presidenza.comitato.garanzia@units.it 

The University of Trieste, in order to express its solidarity with women victims of violence and to testify its commitment to raising awareness among young people and citizens on these issues, will illuminate the façade of Building A in red on Monday 25th November.

FULL PROGRAMME OF INITIATIVES

The MODERN project ('Advanced SeisMic InterferOmetry MethoDs and TechnologiEs for EngineeRiNg Seismology') has officially started. Funded by the Italian Fund for Applied Sciences (FISA), the project is led by Professor Stefano Parolai from the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Geosciences (MIGE) at the University of Trieste.

MODERN aims to bridge the gap between scientific research and practical application in the field of seismic interferometry, developing innovative tools and real-time analysis technologies for industry professionals, small and medium-sized enterprises, and the broader industry. Key objectives include enhancing existing approaches, with a particular focus on real-time earthquake impact assessment and the monitoring of buildings and infrastructures, as well as designing ad hoc devices for more accessible and practical solutions.

The project brings together a network of distinguished partners, including the University of Catania, the University of Naples Federico II, the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS), the National Research Council (CNR-IMAA), and the companies Ad.eL s.r.l. and TME s.r.l.