Early diagnosis is of fundamental importance to ensure greater chances of survival for people suffering from malaria: for this reason the World Health Organization continues to urge the development of new rapid diagnostic tests that can be used in endemic areas.
TMek can diagnose malaria quickly because it uses of a physical lab-on-chip mechanism, which uses magnetic fields and microchips to make it possible to quantify infected red blood cells. Through low-cost “disposable” microchips equipped with micro-magnets, the system attracts infected red blood cells and counts them in order to quantify parasitemia, i.e. the percentage of infected blood cells compared to healthy ones. In this way, it is possible to provide a quick and economical solution for the diagnosis of malaria, compatible with use in tropical areas in the absence of specialized personnel.
After the first experiments in 2019 that showed how TMek is able, in just 10 minutes , to provide a quantitative result with a sensitivity limit of 10 parasites per microL of blood, the new validation study has arrived. which confirmed its potential as a rapid quantitative and selective test for the early diagnosis of malaria.
Credits Seth Doyle on Unsplash
A RESEARCH PROJECT WITH A HIGH IMPACT ON SOCIETY
TMek was created by the interdisciplinary research team led by professors Giorgio Ferrari (Electronics), Beniamino Fiore (Bioengineering) and Roberto Bertacco (Physics) and funded by Polisocial Award , the social responsibility program of the Politecnico di Milano. To ensure an ethical use of any proceeds deriving from the exploitation of intellectual property, the initiative is protected with "social" patents and the inventors have renounced their rights in favor of financing research projects with a social purpose.
The project was also realized thanks to the support of the Alumnae and Alumni who have donated and continue to donate to ensure the ethical development of TMek and create a unique diagnostic tool in the fight against malaria. Donate.
This robot walks alone, but behind the scenes there is the whole University and a number of companies. Its name is YAPE, and it is an autonomous vehicle on two wheels designed for deliveries that is able to move between sidewalks, passers-by and traffic lights.
YAPE is able to carry drinks, hot or cold food, but also medicines as the internal compartment can be air-conditioned. It is designed to move easily between the streets of Italian cities between alleys, rails and cobblestones on its two tilting wheels, which are able of absorbing shocks and changes of route.
Its mission is to deliver what is requested to users' homes in the shortest time possible, bypassing logistical problems and road congestion at the same time.
“YAPE has been designed and engineered to move in tight spaces and to move on pavement, which requires planning its trajectories and knowing its location with centimeter accuracy”, says to RaiPlay Digital Filippo Parravicini , Alumnus in Information Engineering and PhD student at Politecnico, who has been working on the project for four years.
Together with him Luca Mozzarelli , researcher and Alumnus in Automation and Control Engineering, who adds: "The very interesting thing about this project is that it is a platform that allows us to go and work on everything round on the aspects of autonomous driving, without having to deal with the complications of a real car. "
Credits: italiani.it
Vincenzo Russi , co-founder and CEO of e-novia and Alumnus del Poli, in the Politecnico di Milano Alumni Magazine talks about the path of integration of skills and sector that were fundamental to get to YAPE:
“The products we are working on today present complexities and technological problems that are impossible to solve with a single form of engineering, design or architecture. For this reason, here in e-Novia we have Alumni of Politecnico, , able of governing multiple technologies. Graduates in design, are able to become experts in economics, finance and marketing; they go beyond their specific competences to understand phenomena in other disciplines. Politecnico is shaping people that are going to be invaluable in the future".
Edison Foundation has donated 20.000 euros to finance two scholarships of 10.000 euros each : The scholarships were given to students of the master's degree course in energy engineering of Politecnico di Milano. The scholarships are named after Guido Fossati, Alumnus of Politecnico, former Director of HR and ICT of Edison.
This donation, in its second edition in 2021, is designed to select the best talents among those enrolled in energy engineering. If you wish to participate in the call for applications for next year, a weighted average of 27/30 is required; candidates then have to go through a long selection process, including tests and evaluation interviews. Let's hear more about it from the two winners of this year , that will be given their award on July 12th, 2021at 12 pm. The cerimony will be streamed here.
ALICE DI BELLA
"I still can not believe it! I still haven't been able to celebrate and understand it, it seems incredible to me ”, says Alice Di Bella , 24 years old. Alice is about to graduate in energy engineering with a focus on green power , with a research thesis in energy modeling (with Prof. Manzolini).
“It was a fellow student of mine, winner of last year's scholarship, who suggested to me to participate in the call. He told me about this great opportunity which, among other things, introduced him to Eng. Fossati, a very interesting person".
Alice told us about the selection process for awarding the scholarship: the application based on the academic average, then a test of logic and a personality test. Finally, an interview with Edison's HR manager: "He asked me a lot of questions typical of job interviews, but also some that I didn't expect, such as, for example, what value I assigned to the different areas of life: work, friends, free time and family".
After graduation, Alice would like to continue with a PhD : "I don't know what I want to do" when I grow up, at the moment I'm thinking about the next step: a PhD could give me the opportunity to deepen my interests and help me understand what I really like. However, I am oriented towards the topic of energy transition , renewables, and I am also interested in international cooperation ”.
ELIA PIETRA
Elia Pietra , 23, is in the first year of the master's degree in Power Generation. He already has a vision: “I would like to work in the field of power generation plant design . This could be the topic that I will choose for the thesis and I hope to be able to do it in the field, in the company. In the meantime, in January I will leave for Erasmus in Norway: I can't wait to leave the house! Although I have an excellent relationship with my family, I'm curious to have an experience on my own, abroad ".
After the aptitude tests, Elia was the first candidate to be interviewed with Edison's human resources. "I'm not one who gets anxious, but this time I was a little agitated. I experienced it a bit like a job interview, and for me it was the first time", he tells us.
"I was also excited because Edison is an important company and I was very interested in chatting with one of them to understand what I expect from the world of work . But the person who interviewed me immediately put me at ease. We talked about work, but also about me, my passions, my history ”.
In 2020, thanks to the support of the Community of Aumni we were able to create 87 scholarships to allow deserving students to study at Politenico di Milano. Even with a small contribution you can help a student in need: Give now
The Examining Commission of the Marisa Bellisario Prize has chosen among the winners of this 33rd edition, Alumna Elena Bottinelli , awarded for the Management category .
Bottinelli, CEO of the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital and the IRCCS Galeazzi of Milan , graduated in Electronic Engineering with a specialization in Bioengineering at Politecnico di Milano in 1991. Before joining the San Donato Group, she has worked ten years in leading multinational companies in the medical and orthopedic devices sector.
She is one of the founding members of Leads - Women Leaders in Healthcare - aiming at promoting female leadership in the health sector and promote the overcoming of gender inequalities , aiming for equality in top positions of public and private organizations. In 2019 the famous business magazine "Forbes" adds Elena Bottinelli in the ranking of the 100 most successful Italian women
In 2017 Elena Bottinelli participated in the 6th edition of the Convention Alumni Politecnico di Milano (the video at this link) , underlining the importance of the health system (which just this last year has been instrumental in tackling the unexpected crisis we have found ourselves facing). "The first objective of cities is to make citizens feel good", she commented, speaking of a future in which technology, from wearables to machine learning, will play an increasingly important role in prevention and health control, facilitating medicine. remote customized and a system of clinics distributed throughout the territory. “The future is within reach. We must not fear technology, but know it and use it ethically: it will teach us to make more informed choices ”.
The Bellisario Award is an award established in memory of Marisa Bellisario, pioneer of technology in Italy. Since 1989, every year it has been awarded to women who distinguish themselves in the profession, management, science, economy, social, culture and information, entertainment and sport, both nationally and internationally.
“This 33rd Edition - declares Lella Golfo, President of the Marisa Bellisario Foundation - comes after a long and tiring period. These months have been complicated for everyone, especially for women. We are now at a turning point. The right battles, those for women's employment and for gender equality, have finally been put back at the center of the political agendas".
The award ceremony "Women who make a difference" will be held on 1 July and will be hosted by Laura Chimenti, and will be broadcast on 17 July in the late evening on Rai1.
Among the audience: the Rector of Politecnico Ferruccio Resta, the Alumnus Renzo Piano, the Minister of University and Research Maria Cristina Messa, the Governor of Region Lombardia Attilio Fontana and the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala.
The project that comes from afar: we started mentioning it in the spring of 2017 (read more on its history on MAP # 1) thanks to the idea concieved and donated by Renzo Piano to Politecnico , and later designed by another great Alumnus, Ottavio Di Blasi - ODB & Partners (his interview on MAP # 7 ). The two architects conceived and developed a radical reorganization of the spaces in via Bonardi based on the philosophy that Piano defines as "mending of the territory": "mending" and connecting, in fact, are the concepts of the new Campus, designed as a space open to the whole city , an urban park that connects the Ponzio park with the greenery of Piazza Leonardo da Vinci.
Inaugurazione Nuovo Campus Architettura – Intervento di Ferruccio RestaCredits: https://www.abitare.it/it/gallery/habitat/urban-design/renzo-piano-campus-politecnico-milano-gallery/?foto=9
Through the inaguration of the new Campus today, we are symbolically opening a new phase for our university. This is how we have set in motion a post-Covid educational program that is worth, in its first pilot phase, over 15 million euros", continues the Rector: a phase in which the commitment is to find a balance between teaching in the presence and new technologies without giving up experimentation and that goes hand in hand with the commitment to research and innovation.
The Rector also cites, in this regard, the new Technology Foresight Center (we talk about it in a recent Digital Talk at this link ), created to understand the potential of high-impact technologies: from quantum technologies to hydrogen; from sustainable mobility to the potential of data; from additive manufacturing to green chemistry, to biomedical nanotechnologies, to space exploration.
"We traced the profile of a modern, international and forward-looking university . A plan that can be successful on one condition: by being accompanied by structural reforms that give adequate responses to our students and our researchers, to their expectations of today and their needs of tomorrow ", continues the Rector. President Mattarella concludes:
Starting from 2021 Paolo Cederle , Alumnus in mechanical engineering graduated in 1987, will assume the role of Head of Financial Services Continental Europe of the Japanese multinational group NTT DATA, with the mission of strengthening the sector Banking and Insurance across the European region.
Alongside this new role, he will maintain that of President of Everis Italia which he has held since 2018. Cederle will also be the European connection with the NTT Disruption For Good structure, a division of the parent company NTT, headquartered in San Francisco, which deals with exponential technologies and their impact on social and economic transformations.
Politecnico di Milano e STMicroelectronics hanno firmato un nuovo accordo di collaborazione che porterà alla costituzione di un centro di ricerca congiunto sui materiali avanzati per sensori (STEAM).
It is a state-of-the-art project in Lombardy and a unique opportunity in Italy, giving professors, researchers and PhDs of Politecnico as well as to companies interested in the subject the cutting-edge tools to design and develop MEMS technology (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System).
The agreement, as described by the Rector of Politecnico di Milano Ferruccio Resta , "is the result of the extraordinary commitment on key issues such as sensors technology and artificial intelligence”, and is the natural conseguence of the proven collaboration between the University and the company, collaborating from many years on research and development projects.
The investment also provides for the update of the main infrastructures where research projects, training and thesis elaboration are carried out, starting with the realization of a state-of-the-art 200mm pilot line that will support the current PoliFab 150mm clean room ( discover PoliFab, the clean room of the Politecnico di Milano, on MAP # 7 ). The project has a potential innovative impact on the manufacturing sector , which is the driving force of the Italian economy: the new laboratory will be open to companies and is part of an ambitious project, that of create a a real innovation district in the Parco dei Gasometri in Bovisa , where an international research-enterprise-territory ecosystem is developing.
"A center of excellence that is an expression of the interaction between public and private , between universities and companies, which is one of the strategic activities of the University increasingly oriented towards the development of advanced research and competitiveness of the territory ”, adds Resta. Furthermore, the project is part of a framework that positions the Politecnico di Milano among the top universities in Europe in terms of its ability to attract European research funds and attractiveness towards academics and talented researchers from all over the world.
Among these projects there is also BAMBI - Balloon Against Maternal BleedIng , a kit that fights off postpartum bleeding (PPH) , making the device more economical and practical than those currently used.
THE PROJECT
Postpartum haemorrhage (EEP) is a global obstetric emergency: it is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the world. Of the approximately 140,000 deaths from EPP annually, 99% occur in developing countries, with devastating social costs for already fragile communities due to precarious economic conditions that were made even more vulnerable by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
In these mostly rural countries, births take place mostly at home, without the presence of a doctor, and it is often difficult (if not impossible) to reach a hospital in time in the event of EPP. While the reference standard tool for the management of EPP in industrialized countries is the Bakri® device, due to its very high cost it is not apllicable to large-scale use in the aforementioned countries.
Credits: Polisocial
BAMBI: WHAT IS THE PROJECT ABOUT?
The main objective of the BAMBI project is to design a new device for developing countries, capable of correct and make effective management of the EPP and costing less than 5 dollars per unit. For this reason, the idea was filed as a social patent.
The researcher Francesco De Gaetano explains what is currently applied in developing countries: "A probe cover is tied with a tube wire connected with a bag full of physiological solution. The probe cover is then inserted into the uterus where, by swelling due to filling with the aforementioned solution, it compresses the uterine wall thus stopping the bleeding".
The idea of this emergency device is valid in itself, the problem lies in the materials used, in the methods of assembly of the various components and in the lack of sterilitization of the entire operation. This device should remain inside the uterus for up to 24/48 hours after its insertion ; during this period, due to the craftsmanship of the connection between the different components, fluid leaks may occur, leading to a reduction in volume and failure to achieve the goal of stopping the bleeding.
Credits Alex Pasarelu on Unsplash
In the most severe cases of EEP, losses of half a liter of blood per minute can be reached, leading to the death of the patient within a few minutes. For this reason, the device should not be subject to leaks that reduce the effectiveness of plugging the bleeding. The new device we are designing is focused on solving these technical problems to ensure safety of treatment throughout the application, as well as its simple and safe use".
The device object of the BAMBI project, in addition to acting quickly, must therefore be easy and intuitive to use in less than ideal conditions.
"We aim to reach the end of 2021 with the design of the working device, so as to start the validation process and consequently the field trials at the beginning of 2022".
During the next few years, researchers at Politecnico di Milano will deal with “burning” issues such as global warming, energy transition, ethical application of decision algorithms and many other themes that will have a big impact on society and all our lives.
This is the case of 17 young researchers who have either recently or are soon to arrive at our University departments thanks to a “Marie Curie Individual Fellowship”: a European scholarship for young scientists dealing with crucial themes on an international level. Each young researcher will be looked after by a supervisor, that is a professor or researcher expert in the subject, who will help the MSCA grantee to develop the research project and enhance their training.
Let’s find out what they will be dealing with:
HOW TO SAVE ENERGY?
Wietse M. Boon, 30 years
MiDiROM: Deep learning enhanced numerical simulations of mixed-dimensional models for subsurface flow
2022-2024
Funding: € 171,473.28
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS (DMAT)
Supervisor: Luca Formaggia
Keywords: fractured porous media; reduced order modelling; mixed-dimensional PDE
Using deep-learning techniques, Boon wants to develop new and more efficient models to describe and predict subsurface flow to understand how to safely store energy from renewable sources. Boon is one of the researchers who has signed up for the Politecnico di Milano MSCA Master Class, a course that supports the best post-docs from the entire world who wish to apply for a Marie Curie grant and who choose our University as their host institution: “The masterclass has taught me how to align my proposal with the main objectives of the MSCA Individual Fellowship and it has been a source of valuable advice.”
COOLER CITIES
Nicola Colaninno, 43 years
MultiCAST: Multiscale Thermal-related Urban Climate Analysis and Simulation Tool
2022-2025
Funding: € 251,002.56
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN STUDIES (DASTU)
Colaninno will deal with the phenomenon known as Urban Heat Island and will develop a decision-making support system for climate planning and design with the aim of making cities livable during the summer months. The system will be tested in three urban areas in Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Milan.
ULTRAFAST PARTICLES AND PROCESSES
Maurizio Reduzzi, 33 years
HETRUSQ: HETeRoaromatic biomolecules Ultrafast Spectroscopy in liQuids
Genco studies polaritons, particles that can be exploited to obtain coherent light sources (laser) with innovative and low threshold materials that require very little energy: “The potential for the world of telecommunications and computing, for example, is very promising both in terms of speed and environmental impact.” Find out more
“The way in which data is looked at gives different results. And not only in terms of scientific considerations but also on a moral level. Our ideas, our values dictate how we read data to extract a judgment about the fairness of the algorithm.” Find out more
RENEWABLE ENERGIES AND INTERMITTENCE ISSUES
Mark A. Bajada, 30 years old
SSEFR: Single-Site Electrocatalytic Flow Reactor for C-C Coupling
2021-2023
Funding: € 171,473.28
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY, MATERIAL AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING “GIULIO NATTA” (DCMC)
Keywords: catalysis; flow chemistry; green chemistry
Bajada aims to identify and create new materials able to convert energy from renewable sources into chemical energy to solve the intermittence issues associated with renewable energy. Find out more
SLEEP CRISIS
Diletta De Cristofaro, 34 years old
SCRAPS: writing the Sleep CRisis: 24/7 cAPitalism and neoliberal Subjectivity
2021-2024
Funding: € 257,209.92
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN STUDIES (DASTU)
Supervisor: Simona Chiodo
Keywords: sleep crisis; mhealth; philosophy of technology
SCRAPS will study the phenomenon that doctors and psychologists throughout the world call the “sleep crisis.” De Cristofaro will analyze works of fiction, nonfiction and digital culture to investigate the impact of lead times on health and the relationship between individual health and neoliberal ideologies. Find out more
EXTRACTING PRECIOUS METALS FROM COMETS
Mirko Trisolini, 32 years old
CRADLE: Collecting Asteroid-Orbiting Samples: enabling a safer, sustainable, and autonomous exploration of asteroids
2021-2023
Funding: € 229,704.64
DEPARTMENT OF AEROSPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (DAER)
Keywords: asteroid exploration; asteroid dust particle dynamics; dust in-orbit collection
Trisolini will work to develop an innovative and autonomous system to extract rare and precious materials which may be found inside asteroids and comets. “I chose Politecnico di Milano as my host institution for the technical experience and background of the research group and the long-standing international collaborations they have access to.” Find out more
PREVENTING THE RISKS OF SOIL EXPLOITATION
Michele Botti, 30 years old
PDGeoFF: Polyhedral Discretisation Methods for Geomechanical Simulation of Faults and Fractures in Poroelastic Media
Thanks to numerical simulations it is possible to predict the effects of soil exploitation. The PDGeoFF project aims to develop a mathematical and numerical framework to prevent the risks linked to various human geological activities such as the production of geothermal energy and the collection and storage of CO2.
CLIMATE CHANGE RESISTANT AGRICULTURE
Sandra Ricart, 37 anni
MODFaBe: Modelling individual farmer behaviours in Coupled Human Natural Systems under changing climate and society
2020-2022
Funding: € 171,473.28
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS, INFORMATION AND BIOENGINEERING (DEIB)
Supervisor: Andrea Castelletti
Keywords: Farmers; Climate change; Modelling; Behaviour; Muzza system
Increasing temperatures, diminishing rainfall, flooding and drought are threatening agricultural productivity. Ricart creates models that describe the behavior of farmers and aims to understand how these models can make farming sustainable, flexible and adaptable to changes in climate.
NANO-ANTENNAS FOR SECOND HARMONIC GENERATION
Thorsten Feichtner, 40 anni
PoSHGOAT: Potential-dependent Second-Harmonic Generation in Optical Antennas measured Time-resolved
2020-2021
Finanziamento 137.604,96
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS (DFIS)
Supervisor: Paolo Biagioni
Keywords: Optical antenna; Plasmonics; Second harmonic generation
Second harmonic generation is an optical process with promising applications in spectroscopy, ultrafast optical switching and optical processing of information. Feichtner is studying how to maximize generation by constructing electric contact nano-antennas with ultra-thin points and ultra-small clearances as well as developing numerical models to optimize the geometries of nano-particles.
BIOGAS AT THE CENTER OF ENERGY TRANSITION
Imteyaz Alam, 37 anni
Biogas2Syngas: Rational Design for Coke-resistant Dry Reforming Catalyst using Combined Theory and Operando Raman Experiments
Biogas is an important energy source that plays a central role in the energy revolution. The Biogas2Syngas project researches and develops technology and models to exploit this resource and deals with some of its main challenges, such as improving the life-cycle and performance of catalyzers.
Ghosh is developing a new-generation spectroscopic technique which is highly sensitive to the three-dimensional structure of bio-molecules, to observe their movement in real time while their structure changes during a biological process. Among the various applications, in the field of structural chemistry, this technique will create tools which can be used in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and DNA photodamage.
OBTAINING HYDROCARBONS FROM METHANOL
Torstein Fjermestad, 41 anni
EMPaTHY: use of multiscale modElling to Minimize coke ProducTion during the methanol-to- HYdrocarbon process
2019-2021
Funding: € 171,473.28
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DENG)
Supervisor: Matteo Maestri
Keywords: Multiscale modelling; Computational fluid dynamics; Molecular dynamics; Density functional theory calculations
Methanol can replace fossil fuels as a source of valid hydrocarbons, offering a pathway towards more sustainable fuels and chemical products. This process has been known since the 1970s but has only been employed on an industrial level during the last decade and it has yet to overcome a number of technical challenges which Fjermestad will deal with thanks to the EMPaTHY project.
AN ORGAN-ON-CHIP MODEL FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS
Paola Occhetta, 34 years old
uKNEEversal: a miniaturized 3D in vitro model of human joint to gain new knowledge on Osteoarthritis pathophysiology
2019-2021
Funding: € 171,473.28
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS, INFORMATION AND BIOENGINEERING (DEIB)
Supervisor: Marco Rasponi
Keywords: Organs-on-Chip; Osteoarthritis; In vitro models
Occhetta will use organ-on-chip technology to create the model of a joint affected by osteoarthritis which will recreate the complexity of this disease. It will also be used to study the mechanisms that affect the joint and the response to medication.
AUTONOMOUS SPACE GUIDANCE
Gabriella Gaias, 41 anni
ReMoVE: Rendezvous Modelling Visiting and Enhancing
2019-2021
Funding: € 168,277.20
DEPARTMENT OF AEROSPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (DAER)
Supervisor: Marco Lovera
Keywords: Active debris removal; Multi-satellite mission; Spacecraft guidance navigation and control
Gaias is developing a technological solution to remove large faulty satellites polluting strategic orbits around the Earth. The biggest challenge is the development of a space navigation and guidance control system which is autonomous, robust and advanced. Gaias will be collaborating with D-Orbit, a leader in the sector and founded by the Alumnus, Luca Rossettini.
GHOSTS IN THE OPERATING ROOM
Antonio Forte, 36 anni
ALPHA-STEM: Advanced Laboratory Phantoms for Soft Tissues in Engineering and Medicine
2018-2021
Finanziamento 244.269,00
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS, INFORMATION AND BIOENGINEERING (DEIB)
Until today, training surgeons has presented a number of limitations. A potential solution is the use of artificial synthetic models, also known as “Phantoms”: reproductions of human parts and organs which allow surgeons to practice positioning anatomical structures and hand coordination. Forte aims to improve these supports with reliable tactile feedback and deformation models of real tissues.
From 2014 to now
Overall, 24 MSCA researchers have chosen Politecnico di Milano as their “host institution.” . They have received about 4 and a half million Euros in funding from the European Commission and their work has generated scientific papers, new lines of research and consolidated important international scientific collaborations. The researchers below have completed their MSCA projects, some have continued their research in our laboratories, among these is Edoardo Albisetti, from the department of Physics, who has recently won an ERC grant. Others have moved to other universities throughout the world, taking a piece of Politecnico di Milano DNA with them.
After almost two years of work, the new pediatric hospital was inaugurated in Uganda for Emergency, designed pro bono by Alumnus Renzo Piano and his studio, with the collaboration of da T AMassociati and the Building division of EMERGENCY. The project combines practical health needs with an idea of rational, modern and sustainable architecture, aiming at becoming a model for future medical facilities around the world.
"I like to think of Africa as a laboratory for the future and not just as a scenario of suffering and forgotten wars. Gino has always asked me to design a “shockingly beautiful ” hospital - explains Renzo Piano, architect and alumnus of the Politecnico, in an interview . - To talk about the beauty of the hospital is a scandal because for some people it is unthinkable to offer beauty and excellence to everyone, especially the most disadvantaged and marginalized. On the other hand, it is well known that in all African languages, Swahili first, the idea of beauty is always accompanied by the idea of good: there is no beauty without goodness. "
Credits: Emergency
A CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
The structure, which rises not far from the shores of Lake Victoria, with its over 9000 square meters aims to become a focal point for the whole continent, in particular in the field of pediatric surgery : children and young children under the age of 18 will in fact be welcomed free of charge and the healthcare staff will have 3 operator rooms and 72 beds available to treat them.
There are also going to be clinics spaces, a radiology, CT, a laboratory with a blood bank, a pharmacy and auxiliary services to guarantee top quality assistance, always housed in the "cruise" system of the hospital, which refers to that of Filarete's Ca 'Granda in Milan.
Credits: Emergency
Here is what Gino Strada, surgeon and founder of Emergency had to say on the project:
"The best way to help Africa is to do the same things there that we would like to have here too, in Italy. We went to Uganda with all the skills, the equipment, the technologies necessary to do a high-level surgery and with an extraordinary structure. We are all part of the human community: we are "equal in dignity and rights", as it is written in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We have a responsibility to treat an African child exactly as we would an Italian child. "
A STRUCTURE AT THE CROSSROAD BETWEEN TRADITION AND SUSTAINABILTY
In addition to being at the forefront in the health field, the hospital is characterized by sustainability guaranteed by the use of local materials and advanced technologies: the walls are built in pisè , a traditional construction technique that uses raw earth, which manages to keep the temperature and humidity of the building constant, while 2500 photovoltaic solar panels produce energy that covers most of the hospital's energy needs, and which is also divided with the neighboring city.
Credits: Emergency
"When Gino Strada asked me to take part in this new EMERGENCY challenge I didn't think twice, I immediately said yes! - had declared Piano to Emergency, before construction - This hospital will be a model of medical excellence, environmental sustainability, energy independence and harmonious distribution of space. We want to use the resources of the earth, water and the sun, the best goals of modernity, the real ones. The hospital will be built on the shores of Lake Victoria, surrounded by nature and trees. The vegetation will be the horizon of the little guests, the trees as a metaphor for the healing process "
Politecnico di Milano is the best Italian university in the ranking of the best universities in the world for the seventh consecutive year, according to QS World University Rankings 2022
In the general world ranking the University is placed in 142nd place; as per the section concerning the Employer Reputation , that is the opinion that employers have of Alumni which has had an excellent result, placing Politecnico 67th place in the world . That was made possible thanks to the professionality of our Alumni, according to the rector Ferruccio Resta, who comments: “It is precisely in this moment of uncertainty that we must set in motion the best energies of the country, those of young people. Businesses know this and are on our side".
The research behind the ranking QS University Ranking examines 1300 among the best universities in the world and takes into account various indicators: Politecnico, is particularly strong in Employer Reputation an international survey in which 40,000 employers indicate which universities they prefer to hire talent from.
The "second part" of the QS survey is the Ranking by Subject , which will be released early next year. The 2020 by Subject ranking saw us in 5th place in Design, 10th in Architecture and 20th in Engineering, in the world; Politecnico is still the best university in Italy. (Find out more about the 2020 QS ranking by subject on MAP # 9 at this link ).
Alumni Politecnico di Milano, through the community and various activities and events, offers endless opportunities for contact, professional relationships and feedback between the former students of the University.
If you like our activities, you can donate to support them .
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