“Let’s Change! The Climate Is Changing. Let’s Talk About It” is back — the Public and Social Engagement / Third Mission project of the Department of Engineering and Architecture at the University of Trieste (UniTS). In Trieste too, the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly tangible. Negative impacts on terrestrial and marine ecosystems, along with extreme weather events such as flooding and heatwaves, are causing ever more significant damage to the territory, infrastructure and public facilities, economic activities, and public health. In this context, sharing scientific knowledge about the ongoing transition and promoting awareness and mobilization initiatives involving public administrations and civil society has become increasingly urgent.

In May 2026, three meetings will take place at the Urban Center as part of the series “Adapting Trieste to Climate Change. Towards a Participatory Agenda of Possible Actions”, conceived as moments of collective discussion aimed at identifying concrete proposals to be presented to local institutions by October 2026.

The spring series of events will conclude on May 22 at Cinema Ariston in Trieste with a free screening — premiered in Trieste — of the film Don’t Let the Sun, presented at the 2025 Locarno Film Festival.

PROGRAMME

Greenery, Soil, Water: Rethinking Urban Spaces and Their Transformations

May 14, 2026, 5:30 PM
Urban Center, Corso Cavour 2/2, Trieste

The Sea Is Rising: How Will We Move Around the City?

May 18, 2026, 5:30 PM
Urban Center, Corso Cavour 2/2, Trieste

Sustainable Energy, Collective Energies: Towards New Communities

May 20, 2026, 5:30 PM
Urban Center, Corso Cavour 2/2, Trieste

Don’t Let the Sun

Switzerland, Italy, 2025, 100 min
Directed by Jacqueline Zünd

Starring Levan Gelbakhiani, Maria Pia Pepe, Agnese Claisse, Karidja Touré, Cecilia Bertozzi.

Original version with Italian subtitles

May 22, 2026, 8:00 PM
Cinema Ariston
Viale Romolo Gessi 14, Trieste

In a future made uninhabitable by extreme heat, people live at night and human relationships have all but disappeared. Jonah works for an agency that provides “emotional substitutes.” His emotional detachment begins to crack when he is hired to act as the father of Nika, a withdrawn and distrustful young girl.

UniTS celebrates World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day: on May 8, volunteers from the Trieste Committee will be present in the parking area of the Piazzale Europa Campus from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with an information stand.

The space will offer practical first aid demonstrations, alcohol prevention activities related to safe driving, and awareness initiatives focused on the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement: Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity, and Universality.

The campaign “Health Care in Danger / I Am Not a Target,” dedicated to the protection of healthcare and humanitarian personnel in crisis contexts, will also be presented.

The occasion, established to mark the anniversary of the birth of Henry Dunant, founder of the Movement, represents a moment of recognition for the commitment of millions of volunteers and humanitarian workers who, every day, act around the world to prevent and alleviate human suffering, protect human dignity, and support the most vulnerable communities.

Joint second place with Ca' Foscari University of Venice among medium-sized universities in the North-East in the evaluation of scientific publications by researchers who achieved career advancement between 2020 and 2024, and ninth place among Italian universities overall.

Second among all universities in the North-East for knowledge valorization/public and social engagement, and seventh nationally, ahead of even very large universities.

From the first snapshot emerging from the 2020–2024 Research Quality Evaluation (VQR) carried out by ANVUR (National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research System), UniTS stands out as a university with an overall evaluation of publications above the national average, where deserving researchers are promoted and, above all, as a hub of research with a strong impact on society.

This latter indicator, in detail, assesses the value generated “outside the University” in terms of impact on the local area and society: social and territorial projects and lifelong learning, public engagement, research with an impact on health, well-being, sustainability and inclusion, technology transfer, and academic entrepreneurship.

The VQR evaluated articles, monographs, and other research outputs totaling 199,816 products, compared to approximately 182,000 submitted in the previous 2015–2019 assessment. More than 75,800 researchers were accredited. The number of universities considered also increased, reaching 100. The works were divided among 19 Evaluation Expert Panels (GEV), composed overall of 719 disciplinary experts and 37 interdisciplinary experts from Italian and international institutions. In addition, more than 6,740 international external reviewers were involved in the evaluation.

The University of Trieste, on the occasion of April 28—designated by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as the World Day for Safety and Health at Work—takes part in a joint initiative aimed at strengthening, at both academic and local levels, the culture of prevention and the protection of health and safety in workplaces, study environments, and everyday life.

On this occasion, universities are joining forces to carry out an initiative of great symbolic and educational value: students, faculty members, and technical-administrative staff will be involved in a simulated emergency event followed by an evacuation drill conducted simultaneously across different university campuses, in particularly representative buildings.

The evacuation drill will follow the simulation of an emergency situation, with the simultaneous activation of alarm systems and the implementation of the procedures set out in each university’s safety and emergency plans. Participants will be asked to temporarily interrupt teaching, research, and administrative activities and proceed in an orderly and calm manner to a designated safe “assembly point,” following safety signage and the instructions of emergency personnel.

The initiative will make it possible to assess the effectiveness of emergency procedures, coordination among different units, the timeliness of communications, and the response capacity of staff, students, and users involved. It will also help strengthen the culture of prevention and safety within the academic community. Moreover, the simulation will serve as a broader opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of preparedness, personal responsibility, and proactive behavior in the event of a critical or emergency situation.

The initiative is promoted within the framework of the coordination network of Prevention and Protection Services of Italian universities, with the support of the CRUI Safety and Fire Prevention Commission, and represents the first joint inter-university action within the project “Universities United for Shared Safety.”

This initiative aims to be a collective commitment to transforming safety from a regulatory obligation into a shared value. Universities—also through their respective Prevention and Protection Services working in synergy—take on a strategic role in promoting a structural and lasting cultural change. At the same time, they can act as a genuine driver of change, capable of significantly influencing both individual and collective behaviors, so that “prevention” and “taking care of one’s own and others’ health and safety” become an integral part of everyone’s mindset.

The University of Trieste, under the leadership of its Rector, Donata Vianelli, promotes this initiative because every action aimed at increasing awareness and sensitivity to safety issues represents a small but meaningful step toward strengthening the culture of health and safety prevention in the workplace.

It was a weekend full of sporting achievements for the sailors of CUS Trieste, competing for the first time in two major international regattas: the Naval Academies Regatta in Livorno and the Elafiti Slalom Regata in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The two Trieste teams were invited by CUS Bari for the Dubrovnik regatta and by the Italian Naval Academy for the International Sailing Week, a major sporting event now in its fifth decade.

The high level of competition in the two international regattas gave the Trieste teams the opportunity to compete against strong opponents. In Livorno, the crew made up of helmsman Luca Centazzo (first-year student in Economics, taught in English), Nicolò Coslovich (first-year Physics student) and Anna Tesser (first-year Management Engineering student) took 1st place in the National Tridente Regatta and also won the Under 23 category aboard a Tridente 16 one-design boat provided by the Livorno Naval Academy.

“It was an incredible four days,” said Nicolò Coslovich, “because it gave us the opportunity to enjoy a highly stimulating competitive experience and to discover the world of the Livorno Academy and of naval academies from all over the world. Looking back at the regattas, the three of us immediately developed good understanding and a very positive team spirit, even though it was the first time we had all sailed together on the same boat. Our starts were definitely our strong point, although we struggled a little with upwind speed, which forced us to make more complex tactical choices. However, we managed to overcome the difficulties and achieve excellent results.”

In Dubrovnik, the mixed CUS crew, made up of nine sailors — one professor and eight students — competed on an X-41 boat provided by CUS Bari. At the end of the three coastal races, the team finished 1st among the Italian crews and 2nd in the university ranking, on equal points with the winning university, the host institution.

Sailing under the CUS colours were Prof. Piergiorgio Trevisan (Professor of English Language and Translation at the Department of Humanities), Carolina Bontempo (20, first-year Chemistry student), Sara Calici (20, second-year Business and Management student), Leonardo Centuori (21, third-year Naval Engineering student), Lorenzo Centuori (19, first-year International Economics student), Kim Francesco Magnani (20, second-year Naval Engineering student), Giovanni Marchese (20, second-year Financial Economics student), Julia Rubesa Perini (19, first-year Business and Management student) and Samuele Trovò (20, second-year Computer Engineering student).

“I think this kind of experience is unique and extremely valuable,” said Prof. Trevisan. “I believe that CUS and the University should continue along this path. Personally, having less sailing experience than the students, I learned a great deal, especially about the tactical management of the races, and I was able to admire up close a group of enterprising young people and skilled sailors.”

“We competed,” added Kim Francesco Magnani, tactician of the crew, “in two days of racing marked by ideal wind conditions, during which we showed great solidity as a team, standing out for consistently precise and effective starts, as well as excellent cohesion on board.”

Dubrovnik event website: https://www.jk-orsan.hr/elafitislalom.html

Livorno event website: https://www.settimanavelica.it/

From cosmic rays to the proteins of the future: these are the topics that took center stage at FameLab Trieste 2026, the international science communication talent competition. Winning the local selection, held on April 23 in a packed Teatro Miela, were Pietro Monti-Guarnieri and Roberta Pratolini, who will advance to the national final of FameLab Italia.

The event was organized by Immaginario Scientifico, in collaboration with the University of Trieste, the University of Udine, SISSA, and the Municipality of Trieste, as part of the “Trieste City of Knowledge” protocol.

In just three minutes, the 18 contestants transformed complex topics into accessible and engaging stories, demonstrating how science can be clear, surprising, and even entertaining. Hosting the evening was Simone Kodermaz, a physicist, violinist, and winner of the first Trieste edition in 2013.

This year’s first-place winner, Pietro Monti-Guarnieri, is a PhD student in astroparticle physics at the University of Trieste and INFN Trieste. Enthusiasm, humor, and high energy define Pietro, who presented the effects and applications of cosmic ray physics in an unusual and captivating way, from climate processes and the “creation” of clouds to muon tomography.

Second place went to Roberta Pratolini, a PhD student at the University of Udine, who clearly and playfully explored the frontiers of food science, including hybrid proteins and… a raspberry cake.

The two winners will represent Trieste at the national final scheduled for the autumn. The Italian champion will then move on to the international FameLab final in November, competing against participants from around the world.

Third place and the audience award went to Smritirekha Talukdar (Area Science Park), who combined neuroscience and sustainable energy in a brilliant presentation on neuroplasticity and possible alternatives to fossil fuels.

The contestants were evaluated by a jury composed of Nicola Bressi (Civic Museum of Natural History of Trieste), Vieri Candelise (University of Trieste), Giulia Casasole (SISSA), and Valeria Filì (University of Udine).

The heartbeat helps slow the growth of tumors in cardiac tissue. This is the finding of an international study published in Science, coordinated by the University of Trieste in collaboration with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) and the Monzino Cardiology Center IRCCS. 

The study, entitled Mechanical load inhibits tumor growth in mouse and human hearts, draws attention to a still little-explored aspect of cancer biology: the physical forces acting in the myocardium do not merely regulate heart function, but can also influence the behavior of tumor cells, even to the point of slowing their proliferation. 

The research involved partners in Italy, Austria, Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom, including the European Institute of Oncology, the Medical University of Innsbruck, King’s College London, the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, and the Simula Research Laboratory in Oslo. This broad and integrated network made it possible to combine experimental, clinical, bioengineering, and computational expertise. 

The work began from a medical observation that has long been known but remains only partly understood in its underlying mechanisms: the heart develops tumors very rarely and, even when it is affected by metastases, these tend to be smaller than those found in other organs. The researchers therefore investigated whether one explanation might lie precisely in the mechanical nature of cardiac tissue, which is constantly subjected to contraction, pressure, and deformation. 

To do so, they used different and innovative experimental models. On the one hand, they studied what happens when the heart is mechanically “unloaded”: under these conditions, tumor cells proliferate much more extensively. On the other hand, they used engineered cardiac tissues grown in the laboratory, where they were able to modulate mechanical load and directly observe the response of tumor cells. 

The result was consistent: when cardiac tissue beats and generates mechanical load, tumor growth slows down; when this stimulus is reduced, tumor cells resume proliferating. 

“Our findings show that cardiac pulsation is not only a physiological function, but can also act as a natural suppressor of tumor growth,” said Professor Serena Zacchigna, Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Trieste and head of the Cardiovascular Biology laboratory at ICGEB. “This suggests that the cardiac environment is unfavorable to tumor cells not only for immunological or metabolic reasons, but also because its continuous mechanical activity physically limits their expansion.” 

Professor Giulio Pompilio, Scientific Director of the Monzino Cardiology Center IRCCS and Professor of Cardiac Surgery at the Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences of the University of Milan, added: “One of the most fascinating aspects of this research is that it shows how the mechanical forces regulating heart activity, already known to create an environment hostile to its regenerative ability, conversely exert a beneficial biological action in counteracting tumor growth. Perhaps these are two sides of the same coin. I would also like to stress that this work was made possible thanks to the collaboration of experts from different fields, ranging from cardiology to oncology, bioengineering, and bioinformatics.” 

The most interesting finding concerns the level at which this effect occurs. The study shows that the mechanical forces exerted by the heart do not stop at the surface of tumor cells, but also affect internal mechanisms that regulate their ability to multiply. 

This is an important step because it concretely links the mechanical dimension of the cellular environment with the epigenetic regulation of the tumor. In other words, the heart may be hostile to tumor cells not only for immunological or metabolic reasons, but also because its very movement physically limits their expansion. 

Another major strength of the study lies in its ability to connect basic research with clinical observation. The results obtained in experimental models were compared with human cardiac metastases, analyzed in parallel with lesions located in other organs of the same patients. This made it possible to verify that the molecular signatures observed in the laboratory are also found in human samples, reinforcing the robustness of the work and its potential impact. 

This research opens up a potentially transformative direction: understanding whether and how mechanical stimuli might one day be harnessed as a therapeutic tool against cancer. The idea that a “mechanical therapy” could complement or inspire new oncological strategies still remains to be developed, but the principle emerging from the study is clear: physical forces are not just a backdrop to disease, but could represent an important brake on it. 

Un equipaggio misto, una sfida internazionale e la volontà di misurarsi in mare con entusiasmo, caparbietà e spirito universitario. Venerdì 24 e sabato 25 aprile il CUS Trieste sarà in gara nel bacino di Dubrovnik/Ragusa per l’Elafiti Slalom Regata, appuntamento inserito nel programma della manifestazione organizzata dal JK Orsan.

La partecipazione triestina nasce all’interno della collaborazione con il CUS Bari e porterà in Croazia una squadra composta da nove velisti a bordo di una X-41, barca a vela da regata di circa 12 metri. L’equipaggio del CUS dell’Università di Trieste sarà formato dal prof. Piergiorgio Trevisan, docente di Lingua e traduzione inglese al Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, insieme a tre studentesse e cinque studenti: Carolina Bontempo, Sara Calici, Leonardo Centuori, Lorenzo Centuori, Kim Francesco Magnani, Giovanni Marchese, Julia Rubesa Perini e Samuele Trovò.

Per il gruppo universitario si tratterà di una due giorni di regate costiere, con percorsi definiti in base alle condizioni meteo, al termine della quale verrà stilata anche una classifica riservata alle sole barche universitarie. Un contesto competitivo di rilievo, dunque, ma anche un’occasione significativa per dare visibilità a un equipaggio che mette insieme esperienza velica, qualità sportive e percorsi di studio diversi.

La squadra triestina riunisce infatti atlete e atleti con esperienze maturate in classi giovanili e d’altura, in alcuni casi anche a livello europeo e mondiale, e conferma la capacità del CUS Trieste di valorizzare giovani che sanno conciliare attività agonistica e formazione universitaria. In questo senso, la trasferta di Dubrovnik rappresenta anche un passaggio coerente con l’identità marinara della città e con la volontà di rafforzare la presenza dell’Ateneo negli sport acquatici.

«Queste opportunità per le nostre studentesse e i nostri studenti nascono da consolidati rapporti di collaborazione e amicizia, come quello tra il CUS Trieste e il CUS Bari», osserva Michele Pipan, presidente del CUS Trieste. «Come CUS Trieste crediamo che questi possano essere i primi passi per ampliare la nostra sezione dedicata agli sport acquatici, avvicinando un numero sempre maggiore di studenti e rispettando l’identità marinara della nostra città. Crediamo che attraverso queste collaborazioni si possano creare opportunità fattibili e non onerose per i nostri tesserati».

La presenza a Dubrovnik aggiunge così un nuovo tassello al percorso con cui il CUS Trieste sta consolidando la propria proposta sportiva anche sul fronte della vela, puntando su collaborazioni, occasioni internazionali e coinvolgimento diretto di studenti e studentesse.

On the occasion of the 2026 edition of World Creativity and Innovation Day, the University of Trieste joins the international community in celebrating the value of ideas and their ability to turn into concrete actions.

Creativity means imagining new solutions. Innovation means making them real. Within this ongoing dialogue lies the role of the university, which works every day to share knowledge and make it available to society. It is a complex process, built on responsibility, sustainability, and collaboration, that takes shape in what is known as Technology Transfer.

Professor Erik Vesselli, Delegate of the Rector for Technology Transfer and Relations with Research Institutions, explains this commitment:

“Making the results of the University’s research—at a level of international excellence—available to society is essential. But that is not all. The University plays a key role in education, in developing those creative and generative abilities that today risk being stifled by bureaucracy and standardization. UniTS works in this direction through training and co-working activities, such as the Innovators Community Lab (ICL), supporting entrepreneurship with dozens of active start-ups and spin-offs, and developing over one hundred collaborations with local institutions and companies.”

A dynamic ecosystem, therefore, where ideas, people, and skills come together. This is also confirmed by Salvatore Dore, head of the Innovators Community Lab at UniTS:

“Students who take part in ICL activities share a common trait: they know how to turn intuition into action. They are diverse profiles, united by courage, independence, and the ability to take risks consciously. In recent years, we have seen a clear shift: from simpler digital services to high-tech projects, where artificial intelligence, blockchain, robotics, and augmented reality are everyday tools. There is also growing attention to real impact: it is no longer just about doing business, but about solving concrete problems with sustainable and scalable models. Finally, what stands out is the increasingly international dimension. ICL has become a true crossroads of global talent, where the exchange between different cultures generates more innovative and robust solutions.”

Through the contributions of faculty, researchers, and students, the University of Trieste continues to build open and shared knowledge, capable of generating value for the local area and for society as a whole.

Antonio Luca Cucchiara, a resident physician in the Dermatology Specialization School of the Università degli Studi di Trieste, is the winner of the “Current topics in acariasis” section of the 4th Logofarma Award conferred by SIDeMaST.

“The idea of presenting the clinical case that won the award came from observing an atypical presentation of scabies with involvement of the nail apparatus, which made diagnosis and treatment particularly complex,” explains Cucchiara. “Scabies is an increasingly common parasitic infection in the general population and represents a highly relevant current issue. This work highlights the role of dermoscopy and the importance of a careful evaluation of the nails as well, in order to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.”

SIDeMaST is the leading Italian scientific society in the field of dermatology. It brings together dermatologists, researchers, and healthcare professionals engaged in the study, prevention, and treatment of skin diseases and sexually transmitted infections. The organization aims to promote scientific research, disseminate up-to-date knowledge, and improve the quality of dermatological care in Italy.