The seminars of the "PhD plus" project were inaugurated in April at the department of Computer Science. This is a new training and practical course that the University of Pisa has created for its PhD students, with the aim of encouraging diffusion of an entrepreneurial spirit among young scholars and the commercial improvement of innovative ideas. The first speaker was Professor Ray Garcia, former professor and mentor of entrepreneurship at the MIT Media Lab, and presently Professor at Baruch College, New York City. Professor Garcia (who, with his activities, has helped the creation of more than 30 start up projects in the internet sector) held the first set of lessons on the theme "New venture entrepreneurship for innovators and inventors."
One hundred and eleven students from all Pisa University PhD programs, mainly scientifically and technologically based, took part in the "PhD plus" project. Almost all had top level professional qualifications. Most spoke two or three languages, had spent some time abroad and could boast publications of international importance. More than half have had experience working in Italian or international companies, while around ten of them have been involved in patenting and spin-off projects.
The "PhD plus" project, set up by the Vice Chancellor for Applied Research and Innovation, Paolo Ferragina, is the first initiative of its kind in Italy and is one of the most advanced projects in the field in Europe. It has three principle objectives. Firstly, to install in the PhD students a basic competence for a definition and achievement of applied and industrial research projects through stimulating their entrepreneurial skills. This is what the European Union firmly hopes for in its European Strategy 2020 document, and what the Tuscan Regional Council urges in its recent proposal for a "re-appraisal of research expenditure."
Secondly, to encourage the creation of new top level technologically innovated companies via commercial improvement of ideas arrived at during the years of post-graduate study. Finally, to create a network of relations so as to make the most promising research (carried out by young scholars from the University of Pisa) known to the world of industry and investors. The aims of the projects are the strengthening of the academic-industrial synergy, and the promotion of job positions in industry for young PhD students.
It was the first phase of a collaboration process between the University of Pisa and the Université Qadi Ayyad of Marrakesh which will give life to exchanges and knowledge 'transmission' within the Euro-Mediterranean scientific community. The round table: "Circulation of knowledge in the Mediterranean between past and present," whose protagonists were a delegation from Morocco ( and guests in the month of April at the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy), launched a high level model of interaction between the northern and southern banks of the Mediterranean.
This project, unique in Italy and rare in Europe, will enable students, post-graduate research students and professors to spend periods and follow courses at the two universities while favouring research on a particular field in the two directions; and, above all, taking advantage of the complementary competence present in the two institutions.
The delegation from Morocco, led by the dean of the Faculté des Lettres dell'Université qadi Ayyad at Marrakesh , Ouidad Tebbaa , made up of professors Abdeljalil Hanouche, Abdelati Banouar and Thami Dardari , were received by the deputy chancellor Nicoletta De Francesco and vice chancellor for internationalisation, Alessandra Guidi. Since complementarity is particularly needed in the field of human sciences, the initiative has been taken up by the Faculty of Literature and strongly wished for by its dean, Alfonso Maurizio Iacono and by Gianfranco Fioravanti, director of the Inter-University centre 'Incontro di culture' (Meeting of Cultures) http://www.gral.unipi.it
Post-graduate research students from Marrakesh who wish to study Greek, Latin, Italian literature and philosophy, Pisa post-graduate research students who wish to study classical Arabic and its poetry and literature will be able to start an exchange program. However, the project will not stop here: common initiatives can also include the natural sciences, the social and juridical sciences and cultural tourism.
By re-tying together the paths of past knowledge circulation, the University of Pisa is today setting the stage for an organised project consisting not only of scientific knowledge to be shared – as already is happening thanks to numerous agreements among universities from Mediterranean countries – but also knowledge of the human sciences to be shared. Greek, Latin, classical Arabic lie alongside the natural and social sciences in the search for a communication process which more and more systematically integrates post-graduate researcher's acquisitions and teacher's experience.
Reviving a tradition that goes back to 1843, the University of Pisa has awarded the 'Ordine del Cherubino' (The Order of the Cherubim) to ten of its professors. This award and recognition goes to those scholars who have contributed to increase the University's prestige thanks to their particular scientific and cultural merits or for their contribution to the life and functioning of this institution. The professors called to receive the insignia and diploma are the following: Aldo Balestrino from the Faculty of Engineering; Giovanni Umberto Corsini from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery; Marcello Giorgi from the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences; Roberto Dvornicich from the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences; Carlo Bartolozzi from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Giuliano Massimo Barale from the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy; Francesco Tolari from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; Franco Bonsignori from the Faculty of Law; Bruno Neri from the Faculty of Engineering and Gian Mario Cazzaniga from the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures.
The morning began with an introduction by the Chancellor Massimo Mario Augello who, after reminding the old origins of the award, talked about the deepest meaning of the meeting. "This today" – he said – "is not merely an event which is rich in history and tradition: it is, rather, a recognition of the scientific excellence that has always characterised and still characterises our University: as such, it is projected into the future, since it represents for all young scholars who have undertaken the tiring but fascinating path of research an example to follow, and a challenging goal to pursue ." Soon after he turned directly to face the prize winners and affirmed that, "Your scientific paths are therefore a clear example of the wealth and complexity of research that is carried out at the University of Pisa and such as allows our University to be considered as one of the established best in Italy according to the national and international classifications, with certain disciplines at the top of European and world rankings."
In his talk the Chancellor developed his reflection upon the difficult times the University of Pisa and the Italian University system in general are going through. Being aware of the persistent difficulties involved, he wished to send a sign of cohesion and optimism. "The University of Pisa, just like the entire Italian University system, is going through a particularly delicate phase in which it is hard to see at the moment any possible positive ways out. We mustn't be discouraged about this fact, however; we must, on the contrary, find in our pride (which is connected to our history and our present) solid motivations for building a future which will still remain at the height of our traditions."
After having summarised some of the strategic lines of the University governance, Professor Augello concluded with the reminder that along the journey towards a building of the future those operating within the institution must "be able to draw from their heritage, ideas, values and principles, which are present in our glorious tradition and are the basis from which we can look towards the future with renewed optimism."
Two new educational and exhibition rooms dedicated to the minerals of Tuscany and to the invisible world of protistans enrich the vast scientific collection of the Museum of Natural History and Territory of the University of Pisa based at the 'Certosa' Monastery in Calci. These new spaces were inaugurated during a study convention in which Professor Paolo Orlandi, from the Earth Sciences Department, gave a paper on 'Mineral wealth in Tuscany: 2000 years of history and science,' and Graziano Di Giuseppe, from the Biology Department, spoke on 'Micro-organisms at the Museum: protistans in a new dimension of scientific disclosure.' After the inaugural papers there was a guided tour of the new rooms followed by a workshop entitled 'A project organised for scientific disclosure of knowledge on protistans' set up by the Italian Society of Protistanology 'Onlus'.
The opening of the new rooms fits nicely into the environment of the Museum's education policy, which is undergoing continuous evolution and expansion. It proposes educational and scientific projects and courses on the environment mainly for schools, but also for the general public interested in in-depth cultural and scientific studies.
How many minerals do you need to make a mobile phone or a car? How many minerals do we come across every day; even at our homes? And how many do we use thanks to instruments that technology, old or new, builds so as to make our lives more simple? These are some of the questions the exhibition entitled 'The mineral wealth of Tuscany', dedicated to "useful minerals", aims to answer by starting out with the ancient mining history of our region through its most important findings.
Mineralisation in pyrite (iron disulphide) of southern Tuscany, the hematite (ferric oxide) mines on the Island of Elba, the silver strands of the Apuane Alps are some of the examples of this history demonstrated by the samples on display in the show cases.
These minerals have favoured the development of the great Etruscan and Roman civilisations and up until the first half of the 20th century they represented an important resource for our territory. Today, the economic value of these minerals has diminished , but their historical, scientific and museological importance has increased and their heritage remains to be studied and valued.
The exhibition was organised by the Department of Earth Sciences, in particular by Professors Paolo Orlandi Christian Biagioni and Elena Bonaccorsi, and by the Museum , represented by Massimo Cerri.
Also the new educational and exhibition room on Protistanology starts off with a few queries. What are protistans? What is their evolutionary importance and their relevance in the ecological and sanitary fields? These unicellular micro-organisms initially acquired a structure similar to our cells and, for this, they are considered the creators of the largest evolutionary leap in the history of living organisms. As indicators of quality levels of the environment they are, furthermore, considered to be of valuable sanitary interest and of great importance to institutional involvement in public health. Among them, in fact, we find agents of infectious diseases like malaria, toxoplasmosis and leishmaniasis.
The room was created thanks to a project funded my MIUR (Ministry of Education for University Research) whose executive partners are the Museum, the Italian Society of Protistanology 'onlus' and the Italian National Association of Natural Science Teachers.
L’Università di Pisa, insieme all’Università di Siena, ha ricevuto la cittadinanza onoraria di Curtatone, il comune del mantovano teatro della famosa battaglia del Risorgimento italiano. L’onorificenza è stata conferita dal sindaco Antonio Badolato durante una seduta straordinaria del Consiglio comunale che si è svolta venerdì 10 giugno. Per l’Ateneo pisano, alla cerimonia erano presenti Maria Antonella Galanti, prorettore per i Rapporti con il territorio, e Marco Guidi, presidente del Comitato scientifico per le celebrazioni del 150° anniversario.
La cittadinanza onoraria è stata attribuita ai due Atenei toscani per ricordare il sacrificio del battaglione toscano, formato dagli studenti delle Università di Pisa e Siena, che prese parte e si distinse per il valore alla battaglia di Curtatone e Montanara il 29 maggio 1848, nel corso della prima guerra per l’indipendenza nazionale.
L'Università di Pisa ha avviato, con l'unanime e convinta adesione del Senato accademico e del Consiglio di amministrazione, il percorso che la porterà, nel giro di un anno, a presentare il primo Bilancio Sociale della sua storia. Il percorso di definizione del nuovo strumento, che è tra i punti salienti indicati dal rettore Massimo Augello sin dall'inizio del suo mandato, è stato illustrato martedì 14 giugno 2011, nella sede di Palazzo alla Giornata, dallo stesso rettore, dal prorettore vicario, Nicoletta De Francesco, dal prorettore per le Politiche di bilancio e coordinatrice del progetto, Ada Carlesi, e dal direttore amministrativo, Riccardo Grasso.
Il Bilancio Sociale dell'Università di Pisa presenterà e analizzerà, con un'ottica a 360° e sulla base di dati almeno biennali, le attività che l'Ateneo gestisce sia direttamente che indirettamente (attraverso aziende speciali, centri di ricerca, consorzi e altri organismi sui quali esercita un'influenza di particolare rilievo). Esso rappresenta quindi un'occasione unica per conoscere e far conoscere anche all'esterno, in profondità, la complessa realtà operativa dell'Ateneo, in tutte le sue diverse valenze e sfaccettature. La costruzione del Bilancio Sociale avrà anche un ruolo importante a sostegno della cultura della valutazione e, tramite una serie di indicatori che verranno costruiti, potrà funzionare come strumento di verifica delle strategie dell'Ateneo, oltre che come supporto dei processi decisionali ai diversi livelli di responsabilità e quindi, in ultima analisi, come mezzo per migliorare le performance dell'istituzione.
Il Bilancio Sociale mira inoltre a promuovere e migliorare la comunicazione tra Ateneo e stakeholder di riferimento, puntando in particolar modo a valorizzare una strategia comunicativa diffusa e trasparente. Tali stakeholder saranno inoltre coinvolti direttamente nel suo processo di costruzione, alcuni tramite la somministrazione di questionari (studenti, personale docente e tecnico-amministrativo), altri tramite interviste mirate ai key opinion leader delle istituzioni economiche, sociali e territoriali che intrattengono rapporti stabili con l'Università.
Un obiettivo impegnativo, quindi, che sarà gestito da un gruppo di progettazione e controllo coordinato dal prorettore per le Politiche di bilancio, Ada Carlesi, e composto anche dal prorettore vicario Nicoletta De Francesco, dai prorettori Rosalba Tognetti e Maria Antonella Galanti, dal direttore amministrativo Riccardo Grasso, dalla professoressa Margherita Galbiati in rappresentanza del Nucleo di valutazione e dal professor Mauro Rosi in rappresentanza dei direttori di dipartimento, da Simone Kovatz, rappresentante del personale tecnico-amministrativo, e da Michele Fortezza, rappresentante degli studenti.
La professoressa Carlesi coordinerà anche il Gruppo operativo, composto da funzionari dell'amministrazione universitaria: tale gruppo farà da supporto alla redazione del documento che, per la sua complessità e articolazione, necessiterà comunque della collaborazione di tutti coloro che a vario titolo operano all'interno dell'Ateneo.
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The University of Pisa has today joined iTunes U, a dedicated area of the iTunes Store (www.itunes.it) that offers free audio and video content from leading educational institutions.
The University of Pisa on iTunes U has more than 150 pieces of content from various departments which can be downloaded to a computer, iPhone, iPod or iPad. Educational podcasts include courses in history and languages, videos provide glimpses of university life, student profiles and introductory lectures on science. The important cultural heritage currently preserved in University affiliated museums are also represented. Students are now able to engage with the content whenever and wherever they choose, whether at home while studying or commuting on the bus or train.
“The University of Pisa, founded in 1343, is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Italy, with a leading role in the area of new technology”, says Prof. Massimo Augello, the Rector of the University. “This project is an example of how the University combines tradition and innovation”.
Welcoming the launch on iTunes U, Prof. Nicoletta De Francesco, the vice-Rector, says, “Our University is giving its students an additional learning tool and is also opening itself up to a variety of audiences, such as potential students, staff, alumni and the general public. Anyone willing to enhance his or her own knowledge can now do this through the University of Pisa on iTunes U".
Enrica Salvatori, member of the CISIAU (Interdepartmental Centre of Information Services for the Humanities) says, “Audio and video podcasts have become a powerful tool for students and lifelong learners. At CISIAU, we always embrace new technologies and use them effectively for teaching, learning and research".
For years the CISIAU has offered Humanities students the opportunity to access learning materials online. Recently the centre opened a Digital Culture Laboratory which produced and prepared the materials for the University of Pisa on iTunes U.
From the post Unification years to the controversial phase of the Gentile reform; from the democratic re-building of the post second world war period to the 'season' of contestation in nineteen sixty-eight: the contents of this volume “Per una storia dell'Università di Pisa” (For a history of the University of Pisa) edited by Romano Paolo Coppini and Alessandro Breccia (Bologna, Clueb, 2010) nearly arrive at the events of today. It was presented at the end of March in the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Law. This volume, as well as, giving a significant contribution for knowledge ( still not systematised ) of the history of the University in the contemporary age, offers a general picture of Pisa University and its role as one of the most important centres for scientific elaboration in the country and a privileged place with civil, social and political training.
After Professor Marco Guidi's greetings from the University of Pisa's Chancellor and from Lucia Tomasi Tongiorgi (the Chancellor's culture relating delegate), Sandro Rogari from the University of Florence, Antonio Cardini from the University of Siena and Marco Collareta from the University of Pisa all gave talks. The event was introduced and coordinated by Gian Paolo Brizzi from the University of Bologna.
The essays contained in the volume critically present the evolutionary political positions of the University after the Italian Unification. They touch upon both the normative and institutional themes of the evolution, as well as those relating to the city of Pisa, the Tuscan territory, other Pisan University Centres and civil society articulated as a complex whole. Particularly appealing for its breadth and for the complexity of reconstruction is the section on the subjects of study and research, on the schools of thought and on personages who have characterised the last hundred and fifty years and from whom an extraordinary variety of excellence, which has characterised the life of the University in every field, emerge in humanistic, scientific and social sciences studies.
This volume is the monographic insert dedicated to the history of Italian Universities hosted by the “Annali di storia delle università italiane” (Historic annals of Italian Universities), an annual periodical publication which allows for and provides points of discussion and information on the world of universities in Italy.
Mercoledì 8 giugno 2011 è stata la giornata dedicata al "World IPv6 Day", la prima prova a livello mondiale di IPv6, il moderno protocollo di rete che nei prossimi anni prenderà definitivamente il posto dell’attuale IPv4. L’iniziativa è stata promossa da Internet Society, in collaborazione con alcune tra le più importanti realtà internazionali dell’Information Technology, che per tutta la giornata hanno messo a disposizione i propri contenuti sia sulla rete IPv4 che sulla nuova IPv6, in modo tale da poter testare su scala mondiale l’utilizzo del nuovo protocollo. Lo spirito dell’iniziativa è stato quello di stimolare tutte le organizzazioni mondiali a rendere i propri servizi e le proprie reti compatibili con il nuovo protocollo, favorendo così una transizione indolore dall’attuale protocollo IPv4 verso la rete del futuro.
L’Università di Pisa, unica istituzione pubblica italiana registrata all’evento, ha partecipato in maniera attiva all’iniziativa, a fianco di multinazionali del calibro di Google, Facebook, Yahoo! e YouTube, sia come “Network operator”, avendo attivato sulla sua rete dati il protocollo di trasporto IPv6, sia come “Website owner”, avendo reso raggiungibile in IPv6 il proprio sito www.unipi.it.
L’Ateneo pisano ha già adottato ufficialmente l’IPv6 nella propria rete, affiancandolo al protocollo IPv4, in modo tale da garantirsi un passaggio graduale verso il nuovo standard. Il protocollo IPv6 semplifica la configurazione e la gestione delle reti IP e introduce moderni servizi innovativi, in particolare nell’ambito della sicurezza e della qualità della trasmissione dei dati. In ogni caso, la caratteristica più evidente del protocollo IPv6 rimane l’enorme disponibilità di indirizzi: se infatti l’IPv4 offre circa 7 indirizzi ogni milione di metri quadrati di superficie terrestre, l’IPv6 ne offre invece 666.000 miliardi di miliardi per ogni metro quadrato.
È diventato il primo Parco archeologico e naturalistico dell’Egitto, collegato da una pista nel deserto a Wadi Ryan, il arco naturale in cui si estende la famosa valle delle balene fossili. Dopo lunghi anni di scavi e indagini, vive una nuova Medinet Madi, il sito nella regione del Fayoum in concessione archeologica all’Università di Pisa dal 1978, in cui lo scorso 8 maggio è stato inaugurato un modernissimo Visitor Centre.
I risultati del progetto - che vede la collaborazione tra la Cooperazione Italiana, il Consiglio Supremo delle Antichità d’Egitto (SCA) e l’Ateneo pisano - sono stati illustrati il 7 giugno al rettorato dell’Università di Pisa. Dopo i saluti del prorettore vicario Nicoletta De Francesco, sono intervenuti Edda Bresciani e Antonio Giammarusti, rispettivamente direttore scientifico e direttore tecnico del progetto ISSEMM (Institutional Support to Supreme Council of Antiquities for Environmental Monitoring and Management) realizzato nell’ambito del Programma di Cooperazione Ambientale Italo-Egiziana (EIECP).
Medinet Madi, di recente più volte definita “la Luxor del Fayoum”, conserva l’unico tempio del Medio Regno fornito di testi geroglifici e di scene scolpite presente in Egitto, e altri monumenti del periodo tolemaico, romano e copto: questa “città del passato”, come suona il nome arabo di Medinet Madi, si presenta con i suoi tre templi, la cappellina di Isis, i suoi dromoi, i leoni e le sfingi, la straordinaria piazza porticata, tutti consolidati a conclusione di lavori di restauro metodologicamente perfetti. L’area è collegata attraverso una pista panoramica di 28 km nel deserto con l’area protetta di Wadi el Rayan.
Molto curioso è in particolare il tempio tolemaico, caratterizzato da una struttura a volta utilizzata per l’incubazione di uova di coccodrillo. Secondo Edda Bresciani, nella struttura fondamentalmente si allevavano coccodrilli sacri. Il suo team ha scoperto più di trenta uova in vari stati di evoluzione in una buca coperta da uno strato di sabbia. Nella stanza adiacente c’era invece una vasca di pietra perfettamente conservata.
“Questo ha portato a ipotizzare per l’edificio la funzione di nursery per coccodrilli sacri, che, usciti dalle uova, potevano essere messi nella vasca, probabilmente per un breve periodo, prima che gli animali venissero sacrificati e mummificati, e venduti ai devoti di Sobek in visita al tempio e alla necropoli dei coccodrilli”, ha scritto Edda Bresciani nella relazione di scavo.
Il Progetto ISSEMM è stato finanziato interamente dal Ministero italiano per gli Affari Esteri, direzione generale per la cooperazione allo sviluppo, destinato a dare un supporto tecnico e scientifico per il monitoraggio e la gestione dei siti archeologici egiziani.