From Maine (USA) and tested for the first time in Italy and Europe, the new monitoring system allows the identification of the so-called ‘umbrella species for monitoring’, making it possible to simultaneously track other species thus maximising the effectiveness of their observation and control. The concept of umbrella species has long been known in conservation biology, but is being readapted in this case for monitoring purposes. The creator of the protocol is Alessio Mortelliti, associate professor of Ecology in the Department of Life Sciences of the University of Trieste, and first associate professor in Wildlife Habitat Conservation at the University of Maine.

Under its coordination, the University of Trieste and the Julian Prealps Natural Park, who are already engaged in a study on the behaviour of micromammals, will collaborate as partners in the project Optimal Monitoring of Mammals. This project was won on the call for the National Biodiversity Future Center, one of the five national centres dedicated to frontier research, funded by NextGenerationEU, Ministry of Universities and Research and NRRP.

Launching in April 2024 and scheduled to end in December 2025, the project aims to develop a mammal monitoring system within the park and surrounding areas, spanning 100 km2 of extraordinary biodiversity and located in Friuli Venezia Giulia on the border with Slovenia. It was also recognised in 2009 as a cross-border protected area by the EUROPARC Federation. 

Specifically, the project has two highly innovative objectives at national and international level. The first is to identify the protocol with the most cost-effective ratio for a specific management purpose and budget, which is also adaptable according to variable economic availability and aim of the institution. The second goal is to identify the so-called umbrella species. 

Alessio Mortelliti, associate professor of Ecology at the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Trieste explains, ‘Identifying umbrella species means identifying species on which to focus our effort, but at the same time ensuring that other species will be included in the monitoring. This approach is therefore an excellent tool to minimise the cost of monitoring while maximising the number of species covered. For example, monitoring the wild cat by means of phototraps makes it possible to simultaneously monitor other species, such as martens, roe deer and foxes.’

The data, collected in two field campaigns using traps, nest tubes and phototraps (the first during spring/summer 2024, the second in spring/summer 2025), will be used for the development of protocols and statistical analysis able to detect significant trends in the decline of umbrella species. As another distinctive feature of the project, a number of citizen scientists, i.e. pupils of local primary and secondary schools, will participate in the sampling activities as part of the environmental education activities promoted annually by the Park, accompanied and supported by the students of the course in Ecology of Global Changes of the University of Trieste.

 Additionally, in order to ensure sustainability in the medium to long term and remain achievable in relative autonomy, the project includes various training activities for Park staff on field techniques, the acquisition and management of data, and the identification of species. The protocol is also structured to allow for its replication in other protected areas characterised by similar forest types, and to export the results related to umbrella species in different contexts.

‘There is a passing of the baton and a transfer of know-how between the University of Trieste and the Julian Prealps Natural Park. The protocol is to be understood as a real investment for the institution. It is applied research, a model that becomes professional practice in the field’, continues Alessio Mortelliti, ‘The involvement of schools and the local community is also fundamental, so that they may feel part of this great ecosystem and become increasingly informed, conscious and empowered.’

President of the Park Annalisa Di Lenardo expressed satisfaction with the funding obtained, and emphasises that, ‘the project is significant for the area due to its innovation and capacity to create a network between a research institute, a managing body of a protected area and the local community. The data collected will increase the knowledge available to administrations and citizens in order to raise awareness of the importance of protecting biodiversity and its proper management.’

Alessio Mortelliti has twenty years of experience in the development of monitoring protocols and is co-author of some of the Ispra monitoring protocols. He has developed others for the state of Maine (USA), the Regional Agency of Lazio Parks (formerly ARP), the Selva del Lamone Nature Reserve and the monitoring of babirusa (Sus celebensis) in Indonesia. In the past, he has conducted numerous courses specifically focused on field techniques and the analysis of monitoring data in numerous countries, including Italy, Austria, the United States, Indonesia, Tunisia and Mauritania.

The #100UniTS Corsa dei Castelli (Castle-to-Castle race), was presented today (Monday 25th March) in a press conference at the Cammarata Hall of the University of Trieste. It is a 10 km road running event approved by FIDAL and organised by Promorun for Sunday 20th October 2024. Promorun marks a new and very important partnership with the University of Trieste, which this year celebrates a century of research, excellence, creativity and human ingenuity to which a sporting event has now been added.

UniTS will be well represented in the 2024 Corsa dei Castelli: medals and race T-shirts will bear its 100th anniversary logo alongside splashes of the anniversary’s official colour, a vibrant cherry red.

By holding events that have consistently represented a flagship in technical quality, environmental care, social issues and economic impact, Promorun has proven itself more than worthy of the trust proudly extended by many institutions, now including the historic University of Trieste, thus continuing to cultivate a two-way relationship between Promorun and the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. 

THE 100th ANNIVERSARY - ‘In the programme that the University is dedicating to Trieste and its visitors, we absolutely needed great sporting event,’ emphasises Rector Roberto Di Lenarda. ‘On 20th October, the UniTS community will take to the track with the public and top-level athletes, in order to collectively celebrate its first one hundred years. I invite everyone to visit 100anni.units.it to discover this and other unmissable events.'

THE RACES – A snapshot of Trieste, starting from the Miramare Castle and arriving at the Castle of San Giusto (the city's patron saint), along a route that displays the city in all its architectural, scenic and cultural richness. The first 8 km riepilogo will be run at full throttle before entering the city and reaching the stunning Piazza Unità, where the last kilometre known as 'The Wall' will begin, finishing at the San Giusto Castle. A day for everyone, two additional races have been organised: the Non-Competitive Ten, a side event for which no membership card or sports medical certificate are required, and the 8 km Family Run, which will finish in Piazza Unità, and for whom the renewal of the charity project for the Burlo Garofolo Foundation is already in the pipeline. 

Many UniTS students and staff are expected to celebrate the University's 100th anniversary with a day of sport and wellbeing. After the success of the first edition, the International Road Race Running Match u.23 10k will take place once again and will see participation from U23 athletes from foreign federations, enriching the international cohort.

THE HISTORY - Since the first edition, the event has had a technical focus of the highest quality thanks to people of great international calibre, such as Ezekiel Kemboi, Sammy Kipngetich, Hagos Gebrhiwet,Birhanu Balew and Muktar Edris. Over the years, Promorun has broadened its focus to amateurs, conceiving and realising the Family Run first and then the Non-Competitive Ten. Both these successes run alongside fundraising for local health organisations and side projects involving the world of education. Promorun's tradition of renewing the event every year has not stopped there. In 2023, the 1st International Road Race Running Match U.23 10k began, and saw the participation of European national teams.

SPORT AND TOURISM - Sport and tourism: the winning combination of the present and the future. The association Promorun is committed to promoting theregion, which is still little-known due to its geographical location at the edge of the Italy’s Boot. Promorun wants to turn the event into an opportunity to unveil the scenic beauty of the Adriatic Sea, the mountainous headland of the Karst, the city’s rich history involving numerous gruelling battles, the artistic expression resulting from the fusion of cultural influences, and the regional food and wine tradition.

REGISTRATION - Registration is open on the website (https://join.endu.net/home). Next rate change on 30th May. Registration for the Family Run 8 km is open on the website. Special promo: two adults accompanying a child under 16 for €9.00. Club Promo with a minimum of 10 participants. Children and young people aged 18 or younger participate free of charge.

Info: segreteria@promorun.it; info@promorun.it

Speakers at the press conference included Roberto Di Lenarda, Rector of the University of Trieste, Fabio Scoccimarro, Regional Councillor for Environmental Protection, Energy and Sustainable Development, Pierpaolo Roberti, Regional Councillor for Local Authorities, Public Function, Security and Immigration, Caterina de Gavardo, Municipal Councillor for Citizens' Security Policies, Erika Dessabo, Friuli Venezia Giulia Coordinator of Sport and Health, Ernesto Mari, CONI delegate for the Province of Trieste (representing Giorgio Brandolin, President of CONI FVG), Silvia Gianardi, President of Promorun and Michele Gamba, former Italian national team athlete and Technical Director of the competition.

Photo: Michele Gamba, Roberto Di Lenarda and Silvia Gianardi

The University of Trieste and the Municipality of Trieste are inaugurating a multi-documental exhibition today at the Bastione Fiorito of the San Giusto Castle, recalling the salient moments and personalities of Trieste’s university century. The exhibition will be open to the public from 15th March to 1st September 2024.

EXHIBITION CATALOGUE 

To mark the University's Centenary celebrations, the University of Trieste and the Municipality of Trieste are to open the exhibition entitled ‘1924 - 2024. A century of history of the University of Trieste. Images and documents’. Proposed and coordinated by the University museum services (SMATS), the exhibition is brought into being with the contribution of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region of. 

‘With this exhibition,’ says municipal councillor Giorgio Rossi, ‘the new exhibition season at the Pomis Bastion continues, put together by the curator of the San Giusto Castle. An exhibition season that began last September and is aimed at exploring the history and excellence of Trieste in various ways. The exhibition that opens today, celebrating the Centenary of the University of Trieste, seals the fruitful collaboration between the University of Trieste and the Municipality of Trieste on the San Giusto hill.’

‘Visitors to the exhibition will have a clear perception of the historical, architectural and cultural heritage of which we are proud custodians,’ says Rector Roberto Di Lenarda. ‘Many will have the opportunity to recognise themselves and travel through glimpses of the past and discover anecdotes and aspects of our university that are perhaps still little known.’

‘With the exhibition, the University intends to place itself at the heart of the cultural and economic history of the city, to strengthen its ties to Trieste as a university city, thus opening up to the swirling change in communication, research, and the interconnections between education and the world of work in which we are all protagonists and participants’ - explains Tullia Catalan, curator of the exhibition and associate professor of contemporary history at the Department of Humanities at the University of Trieste.

The general coordination of the exhibition was supervised by Anna Krekic, the curator of San Giusto Castle, and Laura Sartori, the Centenary activities coordinator.

In a narrative between history, architecture and art, the exhibition itinerary - set up by Lorenzo Michelli – is made up of four distinct sections, balancing historical sources and aesthetic references.

The first historical section, curated by Tullia Catalan and Lorenzo Ielen, retraces the history of the 100th anniversary of the University of Trieste through a selection of images, documents and videos taken from the University's Historical Archive and from numerous public and private, local and regional archives.

Involved in an initial phase in the delicate vicissitudes arising from the conflicts over a disputed border and then affected by the cultural and sociological transformations of the 1960s and 1970s, the university has found its place in international openness, especially in the field of research and technical-scientific disciplines, which are amongst the most prized of the university’s current educational offerings.

The second architectural section, curated by Paolo Nicoloso and Marko Pogacnik, focuses on the 1938 designing of the university's central body, a building with marked symbolic overtones. Illustrated through the technical drawings of the time and some images, the section renders all the complexity and richness of the solutions devised by the designers. The initial iconographic programme, purged of references to the post-war fascist regime, now boasts the famous Minerva, which has become the university's most recognisable symbol over the years, built in 1956 by sculptor Marcello Mascherini, and two large reliefs on the façades of the left and right wings of the building.

The third section, curated by Massimiliano Spanu and Daniele Terzoli and dedicated to audiovisuals, further expands the contents through the screening of valuable documentaries and a film. Standing out for its importance and beauty is the film which has been unarchived - and thus restored to the history of Italian cinema - Pagine d'Università (University Pages), a 1956 Ferraniacolor (a colour film process developed in Italy by Ferrania.) It was made by Anna Gruber, an actress and director, screenwriter and writer from Trieste of international fame, commissioned by the University Film Centre. The film was found in the A. Hortis Civic Library’s Diplomatic Archive and Archival Funds.

The other films on show in the exhibition are taken from the Istituto Luce Historical Archive and from La Cineteca del Friuli - Friuli Venezia Giulia Film Archive. Archival research was carried out with the collaboration of the research centre La Cappella Underground.

The fourth and last section, curated by Massimo Degrassi and Lorenzo Michelli, is dedicated to art history and includes a selection of works - now preserved in the Rector's Gallery - presented in 1953 as part of the National Exhibition of Contemporary Italian Painting held at the University of Trieste. Finally, the final part of the exhibition offers a selection of the works donated to the University by thirty-five artists and collectors on this centenary, already partly illustrated in the event ‘A Trieste mi piaceva arrivare’ (I liked arriving in Trieste) on 20th December 2023.

The exhibition will be open to the public from 15th March to 1st September 2024. From the opening and until 31st March it will be open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 1st April to 1st September daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

A visit to the exhibition is included in the entrance ticket to the San Giusto Castle (full price 6 euros; reduced price 4 euros).

Info: San Giusto Castle 

The University of Trieste today conferred an Honorary Master's Degree in Civil Engineering to Andrea Zampa.

The degree was conferred ‘for his significant contribution provided by experimental research and in the development of modern strategies based on the use of composite materials aimed at reducing the seismic vulnerability of existing masonry buildings.’

‘The prestigious accolade from the University of Trieste goes to me, but above all it concerns an entrepreneurial reality that has done and continues to do great work with the university,’ says Andrea Zampa. ‘A commitment that transforms thought and research into patents, products, methods, and systems that have an impact on regulations and the market, creating added value and wealth for the entire country system.’ 

Andrea Zampa is founding partner, president and technical director of Fibre Net SpA and Fibre Net Holding, a group that deals with the design, development and production of products and systems in fibre-reinforced composite materials, used in the building, energy, transport and industrial sectors. Thanks to his experience in the field of composite materials, in the early 2000s he conceived and engineered an innovative Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) product that is now widely used for structural reinforcement and seismic improvement of buildings and infrastructures. During his professional career, he has collaborated in numerous research and development activities with universities, laboratories and institutes all over the world with the aim of designing new products by applying state-of-the-art technologies and solutions. Today Zampa is a board member of professional associations and working groups of the CNR (National Research Council) and RILEM (International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures).

Andrea Zampa's speech of acceptance is entitled: 'An experience in industrial research for the structural improvement of buildings: from concept to product standard'.

Present at the ceremony were Valter Sergo, Vice Rector of the University of Trieste, Paolo Gallina, Head of the Department of Engineering and Architecture, who gave the introductory speech, and Massimiliano Gei, full professor at the Department of Engineering and Architecture, who gave the laudation.

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

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.