‘When the war ends will you go back to Ukraine or do you plan to move permanently to another country? Will you take part in the reconstruction? What do you miss most? Where do you currently live? What do you want? Where do your children sleep? With how much luggage did you arrive in Poland?’. These are some questions in a housing questionnaire put to Ukrainian refugees in Poland by Project Safe Refuge, an international group of designers of transitional housing units designed for emergency contexts. The answers are used to create homes that are not impersonal but that welcome guests making them feel more at home in some way.
The idea arose in March 2022, as Nadja Strikovic, architecture Alumnatells us: ‘I found out about the initiative on the LinkedIn page of Kika Zdziarska, a Polish student who studies in Delft, the Netherlands, and whom I had met when she was also attending a three-year degree at the Politecnico di Milano. Together with Kasia Antoszyk, another Polish student, she had just started working on this idea and so I joined them.
one on a research level, by contacting organizations similar to ours in the international arena, with a focus on Poland and Ukraine. The other line of research focuses on the technical and construction field, we are looking for companies and organizations that are willing to build our project on site, so as to avoid large costs of transporting materials and housing units, and also to speed up processes’.
‘We are understanding if we can cover the costs in building the housing unit prototype: a basic module of about 33.5 metres by 67.5, corresponding to a minimum size that can then eventually be extended in length and height by adding other modules. This size allows us to accommodate a bathroom, kitchen and a space in front large enough for a sofa bed or two single beds or a double bed. We imagine it as a very flexible base with a structure made of OSB wood panels, insulated with local materials recovered from waste from local companies and businesses. The doors and windows will tend to be in PVC. We would like to achieve something that is not alien to the lives of refugees. Even if they will be temporary, we would like something in the furnishings and spaces to remind them of their original homes’.
The project of the Politecnico di Milano OFF CAMPUS will be among the recipients of the Ambrogino d'Oro 2022, the civic honour awarded each year by the Municipality of Milan on 7 December, St. Ambrose's Day.
OFF CAMPUS | Il Cantiere per le Periferie is an initiative promoted by Polisocial, the social engagement and responsibility programme of the Politecnico di Milano, with the aim of strengthening the presence of Politecnico in the city of Milan. The first Off Campus space was opened in the San Siro neighbourhood in April 2019, followed by new spaces in the NoLo district (September 2020) and in the San Vittore detention centre (October 2022). A fourth Off Campus space will soon settle at Cascina Nosedo, a former farmhouse.
In the Off Campus spaces, teachers, researchers and students of the Politecnico can develop innovative teaching ideas, responsible research and co-design activities capable of generating a positive impact on the community. The underlying concept is that of a more engaged University, targeting social challenges and closer to neighbourhoods and communities.
Funded research projects are selected each year through a research proposal competition: the Polisocial Award . First in Italy among academic initiatives of this type, it aims to support and launch research projects and an ethical approach to academic work that enhance the social impact of polytechnic skills, with a view to sustainability over time and with the goal of giving space to young researchers.
“‘The last editorial for MAP as rector ... a farewell that, I confess, brings with it many memories. I think back to the emotion I felt on election day, in that cold November of 2016. The same that accompanied me two months later when this ‘adventure’ officially began. One of the most fantastic of my life!’
Thus begins prof. Ferruccio Resta, outgoing rector of the Politecnico di Milano, recounting his journey at the helm of the Politecnico: from ‘Breakfasts in the Laboratory’ (because, he writes, ‘our soul lies in research’) to responsibility towards the many boys and girls of our University, ‘even greater during the pandemic’.
‘In the emergency, I faced the appointment as President of the CRUI: reading, after a few hours by train on the Rome-Milan line, the tragic news arriving from Wuhan. A real baptism of fire for me. Today, after three years of living on the edge, I admit that I am proud of how the university system has reacted to the pandemic. It has proven to be the backbone of the country’.
In the editorial, Resta traces some of the challenges that marked his mandate. ‘Keeping on a straight course was not easy, but possible thanks to a clear and shared vision of where we wanted to go. The mission outlined in the Strategic Plan has indicated the course, that of a ‘European Leading University’, with an eye open to international comparison, capable of interpreting change’.
He concludes by quoting Henry Ford: ‘Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, working together is success. And you, dear Alumni, have always been there for me and for the polytechnic community.
Studying architecture is like studying all the sciences, commerce and the arts at the same time, we read on theknowledgereview.com. This is the approach of Rajendra Kumar, Alumnus Architecture 2008, selected from among the “Most Admired Education Influencers in India, 2022”.
"I firmly believe in the robust role of industry and academia, which complement each other," comments Kumar. "I always believe in the need for continued efforts to bridge the gap in the practicalities of the Indian education curriculum."
Courtesy of Rajendra Kumar
Rajendra Kumar is an architect based in New Delhi, India. He is also an academic, urban planner, researcher and writer. Returning to India after graduating from the Poli, he opened an architecture studio and worked in Europe and Asia. He held the position of Head of the School of Architecture, Noida International University (2018-2021), focusing on the issues of environmental and urban sustainability. He received the ‘Indian Young Achievers Award’ in 2009, and was recognized as ‘Global Educational Influencer 2020’. He is a member of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP), Netherlands, and of the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, USA.
A new important achievement for PoliMOVE Autonomous Racing Teamon Friday 11 November the team of the Politecnico di Milano got the first place in theIndy Autonomous Challengeat Texas Motor Speedway. The IAC is the competition in which university teams from around the world compete to advance technology of fully autonomous vehicles.
9 teams competed with their Dallara AV-21 autonomous racecars, guided by an artificial intelligence software developed by each team. MinerVa, the Politecnico car, was the fastest.
PoliMOVE is part of the Politecnico research group mOve, led by Professor Sergio Savaresi, which studies automatic controls in all types of land vehicles: from electric bicycles to cars and even tractors.
Alumna Elena Bottinelliwho graduated from the Politecnico di Milano in 1991 with a degree in electronic engineering and a specialisation in bioengineering, is the Head of Innovation and Digitalization at Gruppo San Donatoand has been included in the list of the 50 Most Powerful Women by Fortune Italia magazine, which tells the 50 stories of success, commitment and perseverance of the 50 women that are inspiring, across the world, cultural debate not only about the value of diversity in business in general but, more broadly, the fundamental role of women in contemporary society.
According to the magazine, the Alumna distinguished herself
“during the pandemic years, guiding some of the most important Italian hospitals involved in the fight against the virus. She is known for her interest in the development and application of technologies to improve the quality of patient care, like that of telemedicine.”
Before joining Gruppo San Donato, Bottinelli worked for ten years in leading multinationals in the field of medical and orthopaedic devices.
In 2017, she took part in the 6th edition of the Alumni Politecnico di Milano Convention (see the video here), emphasising the importance of the healthcare system. “A city’s first objective is to keep its citizens healthy,” she remarked, speaking about a future in which technology, from wearables to machine learning, will play an increasingly significant role in prevention and health monitoring, facilitating personalised, remote medicine and a system of clinics distributed locally.
“The future is at our fingertips. We should not be afraid of technology, rather we should understand it and use it ethically: it will teach us to make more conscientious decisions.”
SATURDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2022 - The Politecnico di Milano’s alumni community gathered in the heart of Milan for the 11th edition of the convention, a yearly chance to discuss the questions and challenges posed by the modern world. Over 700 alumni were present in person and 300 followed the live stream of the event, all of whom were looking for an answer to the question that gave rise to the day's reflections: “What now, what is waiting for us?” WATCH THE VIDEO
The question is a fair one even if it is ambitious, maintained the day’s host, Professor Enrico Zio |, President of Alumni Politecnico di Milano and Rector’s Delegate. “If we turn our gaze to the past, to the last 50 years of science, we see space travel for the first time, huge strides in medicine and the incredible, albeit sometimes disastrous, effects of our ability to harness matter and energy; we see the world in a state of constant transformation and changes in the way we live, communicate, travel, work and even play.” Each era has its own challenges and each decade new urgent questions to which we must respond. Science and technology urge us to ask ourselves: What's around the next corner?
Gaela Bernini, Secretary General of Fondazione Bracco, Alberto Mattiello, a business futurist, author and prominent speaker, Stefano Rebattoni, CEO of IBM Italy, Francesca Reich, CEO and General Manager of Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca di Stato, and Antonella Scaglia, CEO of IMQ Group, took to the stage in the Trifoglio building. All are Politecnico di Milano alumni and focus on the pressing challenges of our time: sustainability, inclusion and social impact.
Credits: Tommaso Chemello
Bernini broke the ice with an invitation to look up: to
“look at space and space exploration, because we need to reconsider the anthropocentrism that is typical of a western, patriarchal model, and to remember the extent to which our choices have an impact today and tomorrow.”
Space, like science, teaches us models for peaceful international relations and productive collaborations between public and private entities. Our differences and local attitudes pale in comparison to the achievement of the greater good.
Gaela Bernini (Credits: Tommaso Chemello)
Un aggancio per Reich, rientrata in Italia dopo lunga esperienza internazionale: “Sono rientrata in Italia dagli Stati Uniti per lavorare per il mio Paese. Sono orgogliosa di essere Alumna del Politecnico, credo che gli Alumni e in particolare gli ingegneri possano avere sempre più impatto sociale, perché per gestire questa complessità abbiamo bisogno di proposte tecniche. Il mio suggerimento a questa community è quello di non sottovalutare il “qui e ora”: pensiamo anche al metaverso, al quantum, al futuro; ma progettiamo infrastrutture che funzionino bene oggi, che siano un asset per l’Italia nei prossimi 10-15 anni. Proteggiamo le nostre eccellenze ed il nostro territorio. Cerchiamo di avere la sensibilità per non rincorrere l’innovazione a tutti i costi e cogliere il “good enough” per implementare un ragionamento strategico ed inclusivo”.
“We have the technology,” he remarked, “We have the talent. We are training the skills. What we need to work on in Italy is a model of cooperation and collaboration, which is open and inclusive, between institutions, education, the public and private sectors and the world of innovation. Doing business through the use of ‘digital for real’: with the aim of achieving economic and social value for the collective.
Stefano Rebattoni (credits: Tommaso Chemello)
Words that look to the future while being rooted in the present. Likewise, those of Mattiello, who opened by paraphrasing Gullit, inviting us “not to watch the ball, that is not to look (only) at innovation: innovation, like the direction of the ball, is the end result of a series of choices that come from afar, which travel a long way before arriving on the market. And which, if they arrive, is because they meet a need: this step is the most important.” We must not forget, however, that innovation continues to fly: for example, in the last month alone, Tesla has presented the prototype of a “mass-produced robot”; Meta has adapted the metaverse for the world of work and training; Midjourney's V4 was released...
“Text to image. Text to code. Text to text. Text to design. Text to... means that, in all likelihood, we will have managers that are no longer responsible for managing business, but instead manage machines that manage business.”
Alberto Mattiello (credits: Tommaso Chemello)
Scaglia concluded by touching on a very practical subject: how innovation is received by the public:
“Forms of resistance are often met. Because innovation is a wide concept, it does not only relate to technology but also to processes, the organisation and ultimately, people. For this reason, it is necessary to invest in training and communication: in order that individuals can make decisions that conform to the overall strategy, because decisions are made at all levels, in all roles.”
Antonella Scaglia (credits: Tommaso Chemello)
A special place in this Convention was dedicated to the outgoing Rector, Professor Ferruccio Resta, who finishes his mandate and passes the baton to the next Rector, Professor Donatella Sciuto. Retracing the key points of the last 6 years, it has been a term characterised by particularly difficult times globally and unforeseen circumstances:
“Indeed, it was not easy to keep things on an even keel, but it was made possible by a clear, shared vision of where we wanted to end up. The mission set out in the Strategic Plan indicated the course, that of becoming a “Leading European University”, keeping one eye on the international stage and being capable of adapting to any changes. The responsibility of those that manage public institutions is to improve them. This has been my commitment, which I have pursued with the help of you all. Your support has been invaluable. Your suggestions have been a great incentive. Your criticism has helped the Politecnico to grow. And you, dearest alumni, have always been here for the Politecnico community and me, and I know that you always will be."
Il Rettore Ferruccio Resta (credits: Tommaso Chemello)
SATURDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2022 - The Politecnico di Milano’s alumni community gathered in the heart of Milan for the 11th edition of the convention, a yearly chance to discuss the questions and challenges posed by the modern world. Over 700 alumni were present in person and 300 followed the live stream of the event, all of whom were looking for an answer to the question that gave rise to the day's reflections: “What now, what is waiting for us?” WATCH THE VIDEO
The question is a fair one even if it is ambitious, maintained the day’s host, Professor Enrico Zio |, President of Alumni Politecnico di Milano and Rector’s Delegate. “If we turn our gaze to the past, to the last 50 years of science, we see space travel for the first time, huge strides in medicine and the incredible, albeit sometimes disastrous, effects of our ability to harness matter and energy; we see the world in a state of constant transformation and changes in the way we live, communicate, travel, work and even play.” Each era has its own challenges and each decade new urgent questions to which we must respond. Science and technology urge us to ask ourselves: What's around the next corner?
Gaela Bernini, Secretary General of Fondazione Bracco, Alberto Mattiello, a business futurist, author and prominent speaker, Stefano Rebattoni, CEO of IBM Italy, Francesca Reich, CEO and General Manager of Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca di Stato, and Antonella Scaglia, CEO of IMQ Group, took to the stage in the Trifoglio building. All are Politecnico di Milano alumni and focus on the pressing challenges of our time: sustainability, inclusion and social impact.
Credits: Tommaso Chemello
Bernini broke the ice with an invitation to look up: to
“look at space and space exploration, because we need to reconsider the anthropocentrism that is typical of a western, patriarchal model, and to remember the extent to which our choices have an impact today and tomorrow.”
Space, like science, teaches us models for peaceful international relations and productive collaborations between public and private entities. Our differences and local attitudes pale in comparison to the achievement of the greater good.
Gaela Bernini (Credits: Tommaso Chemello)
Reich, who returned to Italy after long international experience, also spoke:
"I returned to Italy from the United States to work for my country. I am proud to be an Alumna of the Politecnico, I believe that Alumni and in particular engineers can have more and more social impact, because to manage this complexity we need technical proposals. My suggestion to this community is not to underestimate the 'here and now': let us also think about the metaverse, the quantum, the future; but let us design infrastructures that work well today, that will be an asset for Italy in the next 10-15 years. Let us protect our excellence and our territory. Let us have the sensitivity not to chase innovation at all costs and seize the 'good enough' to implement strategic and inclusive reasoning".
“We have the technology,” he remarked, “We have the talent. We are training the skills. What we need to work on in Italy is a model of cooperation and collaboration, which is open and inclusive, between institutions, education, the public and private sectors and the world of innovation. Doing business through the use of ‘digital for real’: with the aim of achieving economic and social value for the collective.
Stefano Rebattoni (credits: Tommaso Chemello)
Words that look to the future while being rooted in the present. Likewise, those of Mattiello, who opened by paraphrasing Gullit, inviting us “not to watch the ball, that is not to look (only) at innovation: innovation, like the direction of the ball, is the end result of a series of choices that come from afar, which travel a long way before arriving on the market. And which, if they arrive, is because they meet a need: this step is the most important.” We must not forget, however, that innovation continues to fly: for example, in the last month alone, Tesla has presented the prototype of a “mass-produced robot”; Meta has adapted the metaverse for the world of work and training; Midjourney's V4 was released...
“Text to image. Text to code. Text to text. Text to design. Text to... means that, in all likelihood, we will have managers that are no longer responsible for managing business, but instead manage machines that manage business.”
Alberto Mattiello (credits: Tommaso Chemello)
Scaglia concluded by touching on a very practical subject: how innovation is received by the public:
“Forms of resistance are often met. Because innovation is a wide concept, it does not only relate to technology but also to processes, the organisation and ultimately, people. For this reason, it is necessary to invest in training and communication: in order that individuals can make decisions that conform to the overall strategy, because decisions are made at all levels, in all roles.”
Antonella Scaglia (credits: Tommaso Chemello)
A special place in this Convention was dedicated to the outgoing Rector, Professor Ferruccio Resta, who finishes his mandate and passes the baton to the next Rector, Professor Donatella Sciuto. Retracing the key points of the last 6 years, it has been a term characterised by particularly difficult times globally and unforeseen circumstances:
“Indeed, it was not easy to keep things on an even keel, but it was made possible by a clear, shared vision of where we wanted to end up. The mission set out in the Strategic Plan indicated the course, that of becoming a “Leading European University”, keeping one eye on the international stage and being capable of adapting to any changes. The responsibility of those that manage public institutions is to improve them. This has been my commitment, which I have pursued with the help of you all. Your support has been invaluable. Your suggestions have been a great incentive. Your criticism has helped the Politecnico to grow. And you, dearest alumni, have always been here for the Politecnico community and me, and I know that you always will be."
Il Rettore Ferruccio Resta (credits: Tommaso Chemello)
Francesca P. moved to Milan from Genoa and studies Engineering of Computing Systems, as do her classmates Beatrice and Anna, from Modena, and Raffaella, from Palmanova. Giulia C., who studies Automation Engineering, and Giulia D. and Chiara, , who study Mechanical Engineering, come from Rome., vengono da Roma. Susan, an automation engineer, comes from the Province of Mantua. Sara e Lucrezia, both from the Province of Bergamo, have chosen Aerospace Engineering, as has Francesca S., who is from Bologna. Virginia, who is from Vimercate, is also studying Automation Engineering. Ludovica, from Lecce, has enrolled on the Mechanical Engineering programme. Susan, from Bologna, is studying Electronic Engineering and Federica, from Novara, Electrical Engineering.
These are the 15 female students who have been awarded scholarships this year as part of Girls@Polimithe Politecnico di Milano project that has been created to support girls who decide to pursue studies in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). They stood out among almost 200 applicants: female secondary school students who have decided to enrol on engineering programmes with low levels of female representation. The winners will each receive a scholarship worth €8,000 per year. The 2022-2023 edition of Girls@Polimi has been ahahafhgbfghfdjgfjgfjgjd finanziata da 9 aziende companies (the Autostrade per l’Italia Group, Bain & Company Italy, Banco BPM, Eurofins Foundation, Fastweb, Intesa Sanpaolo, Leonardo, the Nestlé Group in Italy and NHOA) and by donations from Politecnico di Milan Alumni.
“Unfortunately, , only a few girls choose to embark on studies in the field of technology, and fewer still decide to pursue a career in technical industries,” remarks Donatella Sciuto, Vice Rector at the Politecnico di MilanoTechnical professions such as engineering are considered to be a natural habitat for men and a conquest for women, argues Sciuto in the book Alumnae – Ingegnere e TecnologieAlumnae – Ingegnere e Tecnologie (“Alumnae - Engineers and Technologies”). Often, embarking on an engineering career requires girls to be extra motivated due to assumed prejudices and models imposed by society. Only 1 student in 5 at the Politecnico di Milano is a woman; this percentage falls drastically in Aerospace, Automation, Electrical, Electronic, Computing Systems, Mechanical and Industrial Production Engineering courses in particular.
“I found myself attending the Electronic Engineering course many years ago,” continues Sciuto, “when the number of girls was much lower that it is today. And I have never regretted it. I am proud of having learnt that engineering is a way of thinking about not only technical problems, but everyday problems of all kinds: how to analyse them in the right way, without ever beginning to panic. I think it is important to encourage girls to follow their passion and, if they are passionate about technology, to motivate them to go in that direction.”
Girls@Polimi is also a message to companiesa way to promote the need for cultural change. “We at the Politecnico are in contact with many businesses. The most innovative of those ask for the opportunity to employ women: they realise that having mixed working groups that welcome diversity improves the work itself, bringing creativity and innovation in particular, because different minds thinking together generally bring non-standard, non-conformist solutions, which are different to those that have come before.”
WHY STUDY ENGINEERING?
The 15 girls have clear ideas: they have chosen these STEM subjects because of their personal interests and because, in a pragmatic sense, they offer them the greatest chance of choosing a rewarding profession. And they have chosen Milan for the atmosphere here: “I decided to move to the Politecnico because it is an international school that offers many opportunities, like double degrees, both in Italy and overseas,” remarks Beatrice. When choosing a university, it is extremely important to have a desire to have a genuine, positive impact on the world and society: like Sara, who wants to contribute to space exploration and, she explains, loves the way in which space discoveries have an effect on Earth; and Ludovica, who writes: “I have always been fascinated by how mathematics and physics constantly intertwine with our everyday life, even if we often do not notice. I am convinced that Mechanical Engineering will give me many career opportunities and that I will be able to choose my preferred path.” Virginia, who has chosen Automation Engineering because because she is fascinated by robotics and artificial intelligence, adds that her mother is also an engineer: “She tells me that colleagues who do the same job earn higher salaries than her. I hope that this will change, but her story provides reassurance and gives hope: it proves that even when working in a male-dominated industry, it is not necessary to choose between a career and the possibility of having a family.”
“Technology,” concludes Sciuto, “is a way of continuing to dream of being able to do something that helps to build a fairer society. But, in order to do that, we need to stop believing in fate, or rather that it is not possible. We need to drive the change and that is what we have been committed to doing at the Politecnico di Milano for many years now.” Indeed, Girls@Polimi is one of the university’s strategic initiatives to reduce inequality, building a culture of study and work that respects all gender identities, different abilities, cultures and backgrounds. There are not only scholarships, but also a series of cultural transformation projects that begins in the university’s corridors and lecture halls, which is capable of supporting students during their study journey, with training and placement opportunities aimed at helping them to fulfil their professional potential.
Three out of three for the Politecnico: the university team, comprising the Alumni Gabriele Roggi, Salvatore Meraglia, Mattia Giurato, and professors Marco Lovera and Matteo Matteucci, has triumphed again at the third edition of the “Leonardo Drone Contest, An Open Innovation Challenge”, a competition organised by Leonardo. The team from the Politecnico competed with autonomous navigation, trajectory planning, collision avoidance and landing systems for the drone ROG-3, which was developed together with the spin off ANT-X.
The competition, the third and last edition of this cycle, involved teams from six Italian universities which competed over three rounds. The six drones flew completely autonomously in a competition area featuring buildings, take-off and landing pads and the presence of known and unknown objects.
Notably, the third edition added a new element of complexity, introducing “skyscrapers” to the competition area in positions that were not known to the teams, with the aim of testing the “collision detection and avoidance” capabilities of the drones, which were also tasked with pursuing an intruder and inspecting the walls of the buildings.
Credits: https://www.leonardo.com/
The first cycle of the Leonardo Drone Contest has now come to an end: next year a new three-year programme will begin with the addition of other universities. The same formula will be used but the bar will be raised further yet and the challenge will become even more difficult with an interesting interaction between flying drones and land-based robots.
DRONES IN THE FUTURE
In future, drones like these may reach industrial production, with applications in many fields, as Franco Ongaro, Alumnus e Chief Technology and Innovation Officer di Leonardo, remarked onRai:
“Even today, smart assistants are used in operations carried out by surgeons, in transport, security, and the cyber security of smart cities, so they have the ability to monitor traffic, utilities, electricity and intelligently manage a city on the basis of data.”
