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MSCA Master Class: Young Researchers at Politecnico - 3rd episode

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)

Supervisor: Eugenio Morello

Keywords: urban heat island; climate-proof urban planning; giscience

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

2021-2023

Funding: € 171,473.28

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS (DFIS)

Supervisor: Mauro Nisoli

Keywords: attosecond physics; ultrafast spectroscopy; ultrafast optics

Reduzzi will work as part of Professor Nisoli’s group (we talked about his ERC project, TOMATTO, in edition #9 of MAP). “HETRUSQ aims to explore and study charge transfer processes in organic matter using attosecond timescales as well as the interaction between molecules and water, their natural environment.” Find out more

OBTAINING A LASER USING VERY LITTLE ENERGY

Armando Genco, 32 years

ENOSIS: ENhancing and prObing Strong light-matter Interactions in 2D materials by ultrafaSt optical techniques

2021-2023

Funding: € 171,473.28

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS (DFIS)

Supervisor: Giulio Cerullo

Keywords: 2d heterostructures; ultrafast spectroscopy; microcavity polaritons

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

CAN AN ALGORITHM BE “FAIR”?

Michele Loi, 42 years

FPH: Fair predictions in health

2021-2023

Funding: € 183,473.28

DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS (DMAT)

Supervisor: Giovanni Valente

Keywords: statistical predictions; fairness; algorithms

“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)

Supervisor: Gianvito Vilé (we talked about Gianvito in MAP #9, on page 22)

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)

Supervisor: Camilla Colombo (scoprila su MAP #5 a pag. 32)

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

2020-2022

Funding: € 171,473.28

DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS (DMAT)

Supervisor: Paola Antonietti

Keywords: Polyhedral discretization methods; Geomechanics; Numerical modelling

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

2019-2021

Funding: € 171,473.28

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DENG)

Supervisor: Matteo Maestri (ne abbiamo parlato su MAP #6 a pag.30) Keywords: Biogas; Syngas; Coke-resistant catalyst          

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.

LOOKING AT MOLECULES FROM VERY CLOSE UP

Soumen Ghosh, 32 years old

CHIRALSCOPY: Probing Ultrafast Stereochemical Dynamics by Femtosecond Electronic Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy

2019-2021

Funding: € 171,473.28

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS (DFIS)

Supervisor: Giulio Cerullo

Keywords: Molecular Handedness; Ultrafast Chirality; Femtosecond Dynamics

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)

Supervisor: Elena De Momi

Keywords: Mechanical Metamaterials; Soft Matter; Hydrogels

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.

Wordcloud msca

Daniele Ancora, 35 years old

HI-PHRET: High-resolution Imaging with Phase Retrieved Tomography

2019-2021

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS (DFIS) Supervisor: Antonio Pifferi

Fabian Holzmeier, 33 years old

CHARISMA: CHARge transport in Intermediate-Sized Molecules on Attosecond time scales

2018-2020

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS (DFIS) Supervisor: Mauro Nisoli

Edoardo Albisetti, 34 years old

SWING: Patterning Spin-Wave reconfIgurable Nanodevices for loGics and computing

2016-2019

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS (DFIS)

Supervisor: Riccardo Bertacco

Margherita Maiuri, 33 years old

PHOEBUS: PHOto-induced Energy flow in Bio-inspired molecular circuits probed with Ultrafast two-dimensional Spectroscopy

2015-2018

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS (DFIS)

Supervisor: Giulio Cerullo

Tommaso Lotti, 38 anni

POLIS: Studying the bricks of microbial cities: characterization and structural properties of exopolysaccharides and their interaction with proteins and cations in anammox granular sludge

2015-2017

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING (DICA)

Supervisor: Francesca Malpei

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ospedale renzo piano home

Renzo Piano for Emergency: inauguration of a new pediatric hospital in Uganda

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. "

ospedale renzo piano
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.

ospedale renzo piano
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.

ospedale renzo piano pannelli
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 "

qs ranking home

Politecnico is the best italian University for the seventh consecutive year

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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Technologies for the future: are they sustainable?

What is the vision of Politecnico on the great challenges for the future society?

A journey to discover the Technology Foresight Center of Politecnico di Milano together with Professor Cristiana Bolchini and Professor Paolo Trucco, members of the scientific committee of the Center.

Moderator: Professor Enrico Zio |

adi design museum home

Milan welcomes the Compasso d'Oro Museum with Politecnico at its core

The ADI Design Museum , a new international center for design, was inaugurated by architects and designers Ico Migliore and Mara Servetto, professors of the Politecnico, together with Alumnus Italo Lupi , an icon of design made in Italy.

adi design museum
Credits: Adi Design Museum

With more than 5000 square meters and about 2000 objects on display (the winning projects of the prestigious Compasso d'Oro from 1954 to today), it is the largest museum in Europe dedicated to this topic and its aimed at highlighting the role of the city of Milan as the international capital of Design.

The exhibition moves across 60 years of history of society and customs through a selection of objects, furniture, accessories, means of transport, posters, advertising or communication concepts. A "behind the scenes" of objects like sewing machines, cars, lamps, chairs, coffee makers that have now entered common use or will do so in the future (including the Smart bench signed by Alumnus Antonio Lanzillo) and "Hannes", the prosthetic hand able to restore over 90% of lost functionality in people with a limb amputation, signed by Lorenzo De Bartolomeis, Gabriele Diamanti and Filippo Poli, three Design Alumni).

The E-lounge bench designed by Antonio Lanzillo , awarded with the Compasso d'Oro 2020.
Hannes, the prosthetic hand developed by three Alumni, awarded with the XXVI Compasso d'Oro
AN EVOLVING MUSEUM

«We have defined - explained Migliore, Servetto and Lupi, in turn winners of compassi d'oro - a rhythmic and articulated sequence of story rather than mere exhibition structures, to make the museum a “narrative museum”, capable of being an inclusive place for personal and social procurement and enrichment ». The goal is to enhance the Made in Italy and the role of the Compasso d'Oro award, born from the idea of the great Alumnus of Politecnico Gio Ponti, with an exhibition that talks about the past and the present and that will continue to evolve welcoming the new award-winning objects, in a sort of story of the world and society through design.

adi design museum
Credits: Adi Design Museum
ADI MUSEUM AND THE "15 MINUTES CITY"

For the spaces of the Museum, a historic place from the 1930s was recovered, a former industrial area between via Ceresio and via Bramante, in the Porta Volta district, according to the project curated by the architects Giancarlo Perotta (also an Alumnus of the Polytechnic) and Massimo C Bodini.

Alongside the permanent exhibition, the museum hosts temporary in-depth studies and transversal initiatives aimed at the general public, to contribute to the dissemination and enhancement of the design culture at national and international level.

But, among its various firsts, there is also that of being the first Italian museum to connect to the idea of " city of 15 minutes" , an idea of a city that is more sustainable in terms of rhythms and relationship with the environment.

Not only an international museum but also, a neighborhood museum, easily accessible, with a role of aggregation on the territory: a place to meet, share experiences, building a community of interest rooted around culture and sustainability as an engine for redevelopment of neighborhoods, the reduction of pollution and the creation of socially and economically inclusive areas.

MAP is the magazine of the Alumni of Politecnico di Milano The magazine is your compass to navigate everything that is developing and changing in our University. Below you will find a related article : if you like what you are seeing, support us . You will be able to collect your copy for free.

green deal bauhaus news

Politecnico di Milano is the first university in Italy to become a partner of the New European Bauhaus

The Politecnico di Milano is the first Italian university to become a partner of the New European Bauhaus , the European Union initiative that aims to bring citizens closer to the European Green Deal - the program to make the EU economy sustainable - and tranforming the transition into a cultural, positive and tangible experience.

new european bauhaus
Credits europa.eu

The initiative aims to ensure that citizens have a direct experience of how the transformation towards a "green" and "digital" world can improve the quality of life of everyone, defining future ways of living in an interdisciplinary way and building a dialogue between art, culture, social inclusion, science and technology.

To do this, the New European Bauhaus provides for the direct involvement of citizens on a dedicated platform , to accelerate the green transition, contribute to the recovery and ensure a better coexistence for all, exploiting the existing wealth of knowledge, experience and skills to seek new visions, ideas and solutions.

In practice, the project will facilitate dialogue between experts, businesses and institutions to make the living spaces of tomorrow cheaper and more accessible as well as mobilizing designers, architects, engineers, scientists, students and creative minds from all disciplines to rethink a sustainable way of life in Europe and in the world .

HOW WILL POLITECNICO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROJECT?

As a partner, the Politecnico di Milano will work in three macro areas:

  • will create opportunities for debate and comparison that can be a stimulus for generating new ideas around these issues;
  • will identify inspiring projects, practices or concepts;
  • will collect the needs and expectations of citizens

The Alumni of the Politecnico di Milano are a core support for the growth of the University in Italy and in an international context. They represent Politecnico excellence in the world, they are a fundamental part of the social and technological development of the country. If you like our activities, you can donate to support them .

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SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS

Due chiacchere informali con i fondatori per capire cos’è, come è nato, come funziona, ma soprattutto perché da cinque anni continua a crescere con nuove idee e nuovi membri. Parliamo di supply chain, ma parliamo anche di una community di Alumni e Alumnae del nostro Politecnico.

Cristina Rossi-Lamastra, Delegata del Direttore del Dipartimento di Ingegneria Gestionale del Politecnico di Milano per le Relazioni con Alumni e Alumnae intervista Luca Saporetti and Luigi Binelli, fondatori del Club Alumni “Supply Chain Management & Logistics”

Cristina: Iniziamo allora! Da chi è composto questo Club?
Luca & Luigi: Siamo un gruppo di director che lavorano in giro per il mondo nell’ambito della supply chain, della logistica e delle operations con responsabilità rilevanti e globali. Amiamo confrontarci supportati dalla faculty del Politecnico di Milano su tematiche relative al nostro lavoro, sia tra di noi, con una cadenza di 4-6 mesi, sia condividendo una volta all’anno la nostra esperienza con tutta la community del Politecnico di Milano. Nel fare questo abbiamo una particolare attenzione alla relazione con gli studenti e le studentesse.

Cristina: Presentatevi e diteci perché lo fate. Tra l’altro siete sempre impegnati in giro per il mondo, in una delle call di organizzazione se ricordo bene Luigi era collegato dalla Polonia e Luca da Singapore.
Luca: Io sono Luca Saporetti, faccio il global Vice President della Supply Chain di una grande azienda del Medical Device (Livanova), quotata al Nasdaq e con quartier generale a Londra, prima gestivo la logistica e il planning del gruppo Campari.
Quando ci siamo laureati con Alessandro Perego – ora Direttore del Dipartimento di Ingegneria Gestionale – e un gruppo di amici (ad esempio, Alberto Lupano a quel tempo in Coca Cola, Marco Radaelli, Alberto DelGrossi) una volta al mese, mangiando una pizza, facevamo quello che definivamo il “logistic point”. Uno scambio informale in cui chi in quel periodo aveva fatto l’esperienza più interessante la condivideva con gli altri. Lo spirito iniziale della “condivisione dell’esperienza” è rimasto lo stesso. Poi con gli anni l’evento si era un po’ perso, io ero andato a lavorare in Svizzera, Alberto in Olanda e poi a Dubai, Alessandro era sempre più impegnato con la sua attività di ricercatore e docente del Politecnico di Milano.
Nel frattempo, tutti avevamo messo su famiglia e non eravamo più neo-laureati con contratto di formazione, ma persone con posti di responsabilità. Inoltre, il gruppo si allargava ed era sempre più difficile trovare pizzerie abbastanza capienti da contenere tutti.
Circa 5 anni fa, il Politecnico ha avviato una serie di iniziative per valorizzare la community dei suoi Alumni e, in questo contesto, ci venne chiesto di raccontare l’esperienza del “logistic point” a una reunion di laureati e laureate di Ingegneria Gestionale. Apparve così evidente la voglia di riprendere tale esperienza supportati dal Politecnico e dalla sua School of Management (SoM). In particolare, si sono attivamente impegnati nel progetto Nora Marabelli, allora responsabile Alumni Relations della SoM e vari docenti dell’area di riferimento, come Marco Melacini, Andrea Sianesi, Federico Caniato, Alessandro Brun e, naturalmente, Alessandro Perego, che nel frattempo era stato eletto Direttore del Dipartimento di Ingegneria Gestionale.
Oggi il gruppo ha ripreso slancio grazie all’attività di Valentina Goglio, nuova responsabile Alumni Relations e della nomina di Cristina Rossi a Delegata del Direttore per Alumni Relation. In tutto questo ho sempre lavorato in strettissimo contatto con Luigi Binelli che con me ha fondato e fatto crescere il Club.
L’inizio è stato impegnativo e divertente. Mi animava ricostruire quello spirito di community che avevo incontrato sia in SDA Bocconi sia al MIT di Boston (quest’ultimo mi è rimasto nel cuore: ogni volta che per lavoro sono lì vicino torno sempre a qualche loro evento), il senso di appartenenza e riconoscenza verso il Politecnico che tanto mi ha insegnato, e amore incondizionato verso la supply chain. Come una volta mi disse un manager dell’area HR “lei è fortunato: fa per lavoro quello che farebbe anche nel tempo libero per amore”.

Luigi: io sono Luigi Binelli, una vita – 23 anni – passati nell’italianissimo gruppo Artsana sempre in ruoli di responsabilità crescente nel mondo della supply chain e delle operations. Da 2 anni sono diventato Chief Supply Chain Officier di MTD, un nuovo gruppo che produce e commercializza Medical Devices, noto per il marchio PIC.
Mi sono immediatamente innamorato dell’idea avere una community in cui potersi scambiare idee ed esperienze in modo assolutamente informale e divertente con persone che arrivano da settori differenti; sicuro di trovare tra gli alumni e le alumnae professionisti di grande competenza. Ho dato subito la disponibilità, senza pensarci tanto, certo di poter ritrovare tanti amici e animato dalla gratitudine che ho sempre avuto per il Politecnico di Milano per avermi dato quella forma mentis che mi ha permesso di diventare quello che sono.

Cristina: Potete fare degli esempi degli argomenti trattati nel Club?
Luca & Luigi: Ciascun incontro verte su un tema specifico, di volta in volta diverso: si parte da un inquadramento accademico tenuto da un docente particolarmente esperto dell’argomento, poi il tema viene sviscerato da due o più membri del Club che offrono dei business case interessanti. Ad esempio, abbiamo trattato argomenti come la pianificazione globale con Luxottica e Syngenta, il “mestiere” della supply chain con Campari e Burberry , la supply chian nel fashion con Bulgari e Hugo Boss, la complessità delle operations con Pirelli e Chicco Artsana. Abbiamo anche affrontato gli argomenti più attuali della nostra professione, come la sostenibilità con Heineken e il Banco Alimentare della Lombardia, le consegne dell’ultimo miglio con Amazon e Just Eat, mentre nell’ultimo anno abbiamo dedicato due incontri alla gestione della emergenza Covid-19 raccontata, con differenti prospettive, da chi l’ha gestita in prima persona.
Abbiamo sempre un occhio di riguardo per il made in Italy che è sempre scuola di eccellenza come il Politecnico. A questo proposito amo (ndr: Luca) raccontare che al MIT di Boston nella prima lezione sul disegno delle reti distributive mi presentarono il Caso Barilla.

Cristina: Da quali realtà aziendali arrivano i membri del Club?
Luca & Luigi: Abbiamo riscontrato con piacere che gli Alumni e le Alumne sono molto versatili e li troviamo in tantissime aziende differenti. Abbiamo tante eccellenze Italiane come Pirelli, Barilla, Prysmian, Campari, Bulgari, Zambon, ma anche tanti gruppi globali fra cui Amazon, Heineken, LivaNova, Sandoz, Syngenta, Levis’s, Hugo Boss. La lista è molto lunga e, come si vede, molto varia: spazia dalla moda all’industria manifatturiera, dal “pharma” all’alimentare per arrivare alle aziende di servizi e del lusso. Una tale varietà è una grande ricchezza per il nostro Club.

Cristina: Quali difficoltà avete incontrato e come le avete superate?
Luigi & Luca: Con Luigi abbiamo sempre avuto le idee chiare di cosa cercavamo. Volevamo confrontarci tra persone esperte su problemi attuali, farlo in modo informale e riservato, in un clima che favorisse il networking, la semplicità, il rigore scientifico, in un ambito di community con persone che hanno in comune l’aver frequentato il Politecnico.
È stato e continua a essere molto difficile “non fare entrare” chi voleva “vendere” sia fumo sia prodotti; è normale, infatti, che una community così selezionata e di un profilo cosi alto attiri “venditori”. Li abbiamo allontanati, rinunciando anche a location amene per gli incontri e pranzi con cuochi blasonati. Siamo per natura persone semplici e concrete, come spesso sono gli ingegneri. Il nostro punto di forza è la nostra forma mentis e la nostra dedizione al lavoro. Ad oggi, ci stiamo aprendo verso coloro che hanno tutti i titoli e l’esperienza per partecipare a questa community, anche se non necessariamente alumni del Politecnico.
L’altra difficoltà iniziale era trovare un format che interessasse contemporaneamente gli studenti e le studentesse del Politecnico e i global director che gestiscono team di 1.000 persone.
Alla fine, come detto, abbiamo disegnato due tipi di momenti di interazione. Abbiamo due-tre incontri all’anno, riservati alla community degli iscritti, pensati per un pubblico senior e poi abbiamo eventi di divulgazione, aperti e diretti anche a studenti e studentesse. Nell’ultimo di questi eventi, tenutosi on line, a gennaio 2021, abbiamo avuto più di 200 partecipanti. Quando serve uniamo questi due format.

Cristina: Diteci qualcosa di più su formato degli incontri del Club
Abbiamo consolidato un formato che riteniamo molto efficace, pensato per professionisti e professioniste che hanno spesso agende fitte di impegni e, quindi, poco tempo a disposizione. Ci si ritrova quindi nel tardo pomeriggio. Prima della pandemia, gli incontri si tenevano in presenza, spesso nell’impresa di uno dei membri della community che ci presentava un caso di studio. Abbiamo avuto modo di osservare da vicino la filiera di recupero del Banco Alimentare della Lombardia, i magazzini di Amazon e Artsana, il centro ricerche di Prysmian.
Intorno alle 19.00 ci si fermava ad ascoltare le testimonianze di manager ed esperti e si concludeva con un bel dibattito, davanti a una cena informale moderata da un membro della faculty SoM, che fa ricerca sull’argomento trattato. Ad oggi, abbiamo avuto il piacere di avere 8 differenti moderatori e moderatrici.
Con la pandemia siamo passati al formato online. Gli incontri stanno funzionando anche in questa forma: abbiamo avuto una buona partecipazione e siamo stati in grado di organizzare anche eventi ludici in remoto, come una degustazione di vini, consegnati a casa dei partecipanti. Passata l’emergenza contiamo di adottare un formato “misto”, così da dare la possibilità anche a coloro che sono lontani di prendere parte virtualmente agli eventi.

Cristina: Cosa rappresenta il Club per il Politecnico?
Il Club è un elemento importante del più ampio progetto “AlumniPolimi” che intende rafforzare i legami ex-studenti e ex-studentesse e consolidarne il senso di appartenenza alla loro Alma Mater. All’interno di questo ampio progetto si è compresa l’importanza di creare dei “gruppi ” attorno a specifici ambiti di interesse, pensati come centri di conoscenza, confronto e condivisione di esperienze. Il Club è maturato proprio in questo contesto: è il primo nato e il più longevo nell’ambito della School of Management del Politecnico di Milano, che si sta impegnando per crearne altri. Oggi è certamente un centro attivo e un riferimento per chi opera in ambito supply chain e logistica, un forum per lo scambio di competenze, esperienze, idee e informazioni fra chi lavora nel settore.

Cristina: Come è possibile partecipare?
La partecipazione al Club è su invito, occorre far parte della comunity degli Alumni del Politecnico di Milano ed essere appassionati dei temi del Club. Si può inviare una richiesta di adesione, che verrà condivisa con il board del Club, a Valentina Goglio (alumnirelations@mip.polimi.it).

Credits header: https://www.kmsenpai.it/supply-chain-management/supply-chain-resiliente-4-drivers-indispensabili-e-6-azioni-tattiche/

hands home

Supported through your '5 per mille' donations: HANDS

Research promotes innovation in "district betterment" programs through multidisciplinary experimentation of long-term actions aimed at mitigating the structural health and hygiene vulnerability of the inhabitants of the Chamanculo district in Maputo, combining health and environmental projects in a holistic and systemic

The recent pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of the population living in Chamanculo , which had pre-existing problems due to the lack of health services, as well as revealed the inadequacy of waste management, the limited supply of safe water, both in private and public areas, and the impossibility of guaranteeing adequate personal hygiene.

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Credits: Polisocial
HANDS: WHAT DOES THE PROJECT INVOLVES?

HANDS is aimed at activating a “Social Laboratory” dedicated to the production of Polichina, the sanitizing liquid Made in Politecnico and to promote better waste management and an appropriate energy production model on a urban and domestic scale, ultimately transferring the related technological skills to local stakeholders.

"We have imagined an automated system just a bit bigger than a coffee machine", explains Alumnus and researcher Mattia Sponchioni , "with four different dispensers connected containing the elements to produce Polichina: water, ethanol, hydrogen peroxide and glycerol. You set a specific quantity and the system produces it. We aim to arrive at a prototype to be installed in some key points of Chamanculo: a school, a square, a market". Refueling stations to be integrated with an intelligent management system for waste generated following the health emergency: from masks to Polichina dispensers .

hands
Credits Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu on Unsplash

In the "Social Laboratory", new methods of electricity production will also be tested for the power supply of Polichina distributors and for the local procurement of raw materials from renewable sources on site.

In this particular situation, the use of Polichina also has a positive impact in terms of water saving .

"We aim to reduce consumption from the liter scale to that of milliliters", comments Sponchioni, "when washing hands, liters of drinking water are consumed, with Polichina just a spray of a few milliliters is enough, saving over 95% of water which is in short supply in degraded places and where there is the danger of other pathologies such as tuberculosis."

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STEM Sciuto Home

The future of STEMs at Politecnico: interdisciplinary and inclusive

“Science has no gender: the reason girls don't seem fond for science it sometimes is because they aren't encouraged. For this reason, the Politecnico has been organizing events open to children for years (including Researchers' Night ), to teach them with simple words what is scientific research".

So says to Elle the executive vice rector of the Politecnico di Milano and delegate for Research and Diversity Donatella Sciuto , interviewed on the STEM professions which, even today, are subject to a cultural resistance imposed by society, which continues to see these professions as “ men's interests” .

"In the collective imagination, technical professions are perhaps still a natural gift for men, a great achievement for women. It still happens that female engineers feel the need to justify or belittle their role. I believe that the real step forward will be taken when most of us think that the choice to devote ourselves to a technical profession is simply a legitimate aspiration. An answer to the curiosity, interest and desires of the person ", as written by the Vice Rector in the preface of the book“ Alumnae. Engineer and technologies ”.

STEM. AN APPROACH THROUGH HUMANITIES

In the interview Donatella Sciuto discusses the future of new STEM professionals, who will increasingly favor an interdisciplinary approach, combining the "mathematical"aspects with the "humanistic" one: nowadays, in fact technological skills are not enough to develop new technologies.

"We need innovative capacity, creativity and a humanistic approach, because we need to be able to understand the social and personal impact of what we achieve".

This is the case of professions growing in the last few yars, such as those in the field of cybersecurity , which require IT skills but also management and law skills, taught at the Politecnico in two master's courses (Computer Engineering and Cyber ​​Risk Strategy and Governance), and the study and management of efficient mobility for citizens , studied in depth in the degree course in Mobility Engineering, which combines technological skills with those of logistics and planning.

STEM
Credits: https://money.usnews.com/investing/portfolio-management/slideshows/investing-tips-from-cathie-wood
THE GENDER REPORT: A SNAPSHOT OF THE UNIVERSITY AND THE ACTIONS TAKEN WITH RESPECT TO THE GENDER PERSPECTIVE

In accordance with the strategic actions of the Politecnico di Milano in favor of greater diversity and inclusion, the Gender Report takes a snapshot of the University every year with respect to the gender perspective in study and work paths, among students and internal staff of the teaching staff and the technical-administrative staff.

From this analysis are made clear the policies and positive actions to be implemented to promote equal opportunities, thus tracing new goals and points of arrival.

Credits header: Io Donna

In the book “ALUMNAE, Engineer and Technologies” we have collected the stories of 67 engineers in our community. The target? Telling a set of positive examples for the “STEM” girls of today and tomorrow. This book is one of the many initiatives created by Alumni Politecnico di Milano. If you like our activities, you can donate to support them .

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24H Design Conversations

The Pandemics is forcing us to re-discuss the paradigms according to which we live, work, live and think: design has a central role in this process.

On this topic professors, professionals and Alumni of Politecnico di Milano discuss on project culture: how to re-think the process in light of the recent events? Through 30-minutes talks, promoted and realised by POLIMI Design System of Politecnico di Milano with the involvement of designers coming all over the world, 48 guests have centered a key word they proposed, and consider to be significant in defining the design and its changes.

We present to you the Alumni that have taken part in this world journey in 24 hours.

Intro | IN-EQUALITY

The first appointment is with the Alumni Alessandro Biamonti, Alessandro Deserti, Anna Barbara and Matteo Ingaramo that have centered their talks around the word In-Equality.

ILHA

The Alumna Francesca Piredda talked with Susana Gonzaga and the Alumnae Elisa Bertolotti and Valentina Vezzani on the concept of "Ilha” in the world of Design.

VULNERABILIDADE

Professors and Alumnae Beatrice Villari and Carla Cipolla talk about the concept of “vulnerability” in Design.

DISRUPTION

Davide Fassi , associate professor at the Politecnico di Milano, converses with Alumna Teresa Franqueira , associate professor at the Universidade de Aveiro on the topic "disruption" - the "rupture" - in Design and in the post-Covid era.

SPECULATION

Francesco Scullica , Alumnus, full professor and member of the design department of Politecnico di Milano talks with Francesca Murialdo , Alumna of the Polytechnic and professor at Middlesex University on the concept of "speculation".

BOUNDARIES

Alessandro Biamonti , Alumnus and Design researcher at the Politecnico di Milano, talks about boundaries in Design with Alumna Elena Pacenti , dean of the School of Design at NewSchool.

APAPACHAR

Silvia Maria Gramegna, Alumna and Postdoctoral researcher at the Politecnico di Milano, interview Erik Ciravegna , Alumnus of Politecnico and professor of Design at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile on the meaning of "apapachar" and how it can be accommodated in the post-pandemic world.

PEOPLE

Alessandro Biamonti , Alumnus and Design researcher at the Politecnico di Milano, talks with Mauro Porcini , Alumnus, Senior Vice President and Chief Design Officer of PepsiCo on "people", or how the world of post-pandemic work and design will be able to really focus on people in the future.

DATUM

Beatrice Villari , Alumna and professor at the Department of Design at the Politecnico di Milano, and Paolo Ciuccarelli , Alumnus at the Polytechnic and professor at Northeastern University converse on the concept of “datum”.

PASSION

Alessandro Biamonti , Alumnus and Design researcher, converses with Raffaella Colombo , Alumna and professor at the Politecnico di Milano on the meaning of “passion”.

msca-home

MSCA Master Class: Young researchers at Politecnico - 2nd episode

Ethics, health, physics of ultra-fast processes, space exploration, energy and sustainability: these are just some of the themes pursued by young researchers at Politecnico di Milano, in an increasingly central perspective of responsible research and the impact of technologies in society.

The European Commission in particular is one of the major allies of university research in this sense and offers various tools for the recruitment of young and talented researchers with an international profile. One of the most important tool is the “Marie Curie Individual Fellowship” grants: research grants dedicated to young researchers who deal with crucial issues for society.

Since 2014, through the European Horizon 2020 program, Politecnico has welcomed 24 MSCA fellows. Six of them will begin their project at Politecnico in 2021: let’s learn more about them.

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING

What does it mean to be a subject in the 21st century? Diletta De Cristofaro, 34 years old, wonders. Hers project, SCRAPS: writing the Sleep CRisis: 24/7 cAPitalism and neoliberal Subjectivity, will study what doctors and psychologists around the world call the "sleep crisis". The researcher will analyze works of fiction, nonfiction and digital culture to investigate the impact of the times of productivity on health and the relationship between individual health and neoliberal ideologies.

DilettaDeCristofaro

Its base will be the META, a research group of Politecnico that deals with philosophical, epistemological, ethical and social issues related to the processes of science, technology and innovation.

De Cristofaro has a degree in philosophy in Milan and a doctorate in American studies in England, where she worked for 10 years before arriving at Politecnico: "it's the right place to explore the relationship between human beings and technology - comments De Cristofaro - fundamental relationship of our identities ".

She is one of the researchers who have leaned on the MSCA Master Class of Politecnico, a path that supports the best post-docs from all over the world who want to apply for a Marie Curie grant and choose Politecnico as host institution: "it was a ' priceless opportunity. Through this masterclass, I developed a deeper understanding of the MSCA application and assessment process and learned the best tips and strategies that helped me shape a successful application, ”commented the researcher.

DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS

Michele Loi also comes from a humanistic background: he is 42 years old, with a degree in philosophy in Cagliari and a doctorate from Luiss in Rome. For 5 years In Switzerland, first working in ETH Zurich and then at the University of Zurich, he has been dealing with ethics applied to data, in particular medical data, big data and algorithms.

Data is not everything - comments Loi. The way you look at the data leads to different conclusions. And it is not based only on scientific but also moral considerations. It is our ideas, our values ​​that tell us how to read the data to come up with a judgment on the algorithm's fairness.

"The debate is particularly relevant in reference to clinical care, where machine learning algorithms have been used to improve diagnoses, therapeutic choices and, in general, the actions of the health system. Loi's MSCA project will focus on this: "Fair predictions in health".

MicheleLoi

 In fact, since automatic learning models depend on historically collected information, comments that have suffered or suffer structural discrimination risk further damage due to inaccurate projections which, for example, can lead to unfair choices in the allocation of resources, reinforcing inequalities in access to health services.

“Il mio obiettivo è quello di sviluppare un framework di lavoro condiviso che permetta di tradurre alcuni assunti morali in vincoli di programmazione. Questi assunti morali devono essere resi espliciti e comunicati in modo comprensibile agli stakeholders. Dovremo identificare una serie di problemi di equità nei modelli utilizzati, ad esempio, per prevedere come un paziente reagirà ad una cura e capire come collegare alcuni principi etici con alcune formulazioni matematiche tipiche della computer science.

Vorrei anche lavorare alla costituzione di un “Fairness Lab”, un laboratorio che visualizzi i possibili significati e modi diversi di leggere i dati sotto la guida di principi etici. Per questo ho scelto il Poli: mi sono reso conto che, per poter dare un reale contributo alla società, da filosofo mi devo confrontare con persone che si occupano di matematica e statistica. Oggi non è possibile fare etica senza confrontarsi con ciò che è matematicamente impossibile.

PHYSICS DEPARTMENT

Maurizio Reduzzi, 33, Physical Engineering Alumnus and former PhD student of Politecnico, has sinced worked at UC Berkeley, California, and at ICFO - The Institute of Photonic Sciences in Barcelona. He has always dealt with the physics of ultra-fast processes (in particular attosecond science), a discipline in which Politecnico is historically at the forefront.

This interest brought Reduzzi back to his Alma Mater with an MSCA grant for the HETRUSQ project: HETeRoaromatic biomolecules Ultrafast Spectroscopy in liQuids. He will work with the group of prof. Nisoli (we talked about his ERC project, Tomatto, in issue 9 of MAP).

“Tomatto deals with studying charge transfer processes on a very short time scale (from a few femtoseconds to a few tens of attoseconds) in organic matter”, explains Reduzzi. "With HETRUSQ I will use similar techniques, with the aim of exploring the interaction, on the same extreme temporal streams as TOMATTO, between molecules and their natural surrounding environment, water".

The experiments will mainly concern heteroaromatic molecules, which constitute the fundamental components of DNA and a large part of organic matter. The final step will be to compare the results of the studies in a gaseous state with those in a liquid environment, to which the molecules react.

"The development of optical technology will be crucial, which will allow us to synthesize light pulses tunable in frequency in the ultraviolet state of the art (lasting a few femtoseconds). The integration of this light source with a monochromator for the extreme ultraviolet (a very advanced instrument already present in the laboratories of Prof. Nisoli) will allow time-resolved spectroscopy studies that have never been carried out before".

MaurizioReduzzi

Armando Genco, 32, studied materials engineering at the University of Salento, has obtained a PHD at the Research Center for Nanotechnologies in Lecce and has completed his post-doc at the University of Sheffield.

He is an expert in polaritons, particles composed of a photon and an exciton (ie an electron energetically excited in a luminescent material) which, in very particular conditions within micro- or nanometer-sized devices can bind.

“This type of condition is called a strong coupling regime,” explains Genco. "It has characteristics that can be exploited to obtain coherent light sources (lasers) with innovative and low-threshold materials, which require very little energy: the potential repercussions in the world of telecommunications and computing, for example, are very promising both in terms of speed and environmental impact ".

Genco's MSCA project, ENOSIS: ENhancing and prObing Strong light-matter Interactions in 2D materials by ultrafaSt optical techniques, will study the properties of 2D materials (materials with a thickness of a few atoms). In particular the coupling between 2 different layers of these materials in relation to the possibility of creating the conditions for the emission of polaritons. "In a strong coupling regime and as a function of the twist angle (i.e. reciprocal torsion), these bi-layers can create very favorable conditions for producing coherent light through polaritons. To move forward in my research I needed a perspective in the field of ultrafast spectroscopy, to look at what happens to electrons and photons a few tens of femtoseconds after coupling, and the group of prof. Cerullo at Politecnico is at the forefront in this field ".

Today still few groups of research in the world have studied 2D materials with "twisted" angles and specific characterization techniques are needed for these devices. In order to study them, Genco will rely on the "hyperspectral imaging" technique (using a Politecnico patent), which allows to obtain a spectral analysis of the light for each single wavelength almost simultaneously for each point of the analyzed sample.

ArmandoGenco
DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND AREOSPACE TECHNOLOGIES

Mirko Trisolini, 32, deals with the dynamics of celestial bodies, satellites and space debris, in particular the motion of fragments and particles around minor bodies of our Solar System, such as asteroids and comets.

After graduating from the University of Pisa and gaining a Phd. from the University of Southampton, he began collaborating with Prof. Colombo's research group at Politecnico, where he obtained a post-doc and laid the foundations for the MSCA project CRADLE (Collecting Asteroid-Orbiting Samples: enabling a safer, sustainable, and autonomous exploration of asteroids).

MirkoTrisolini

"I chose Politecnico as host institution for the experience and technical background of the research group in which I work and the deep-rooted collaborations, including international ones, to which he has access". Trisolini, in fact, will work with the University of Padua and the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) to develop an innovative and autonomous system for the extraction of rare and precious materials that could be found inside asteroids and comets.

"Being able to explore the composition of these celestial bodies will allow us to improve our knowledge of the Solar System, but also to learn how to exploit the resources of space: mineral resources, for example, but also vital for future manned missions, such as water that it could be under the surface ”.

The intermediate step of the project will lead Trisolini to develop more precise models for the collection and behavior in orbit of materials extractable from asteroids (with image processing techniques and reconstruction of the characteristics of the particles). The development of these models and algorithms will help improve the autonomy of satellites for long-range missions.

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

One of the greatest challenges of our time is energy transition and especially implementing ‘energy smart’ chemical manufacturing processes. Mark Bajada, 30, is working with goal in mind: he holds a degree in chemistry at the University of Malta and a master in energy engineering at Cambridge, where he is continuing his PHD, focusing on artificial photosynthesis (generational solar fuels).

His MSCA project, SSEFR: Single-Site Electrocatalytic Flow Reactor for C-C Coupling, aims at identifying and creating new materials capable of storing energy to solve intermittency problems associated with renewable energy.

MarkBajada

“The excess supply could be directed and stored in a stable chemical bond. However, to achieve this goal, efficient and selective electrocatalysts are needed”. Bajada will work on single-site catalysis an interesting and new research field.</p

The first objective will be the design, development and understanding of precious-metal-free single-site electrocatalytic systems that can be produced with cheap and available materials. The following step will be to engineer and manufacture catalytic flow reactors that use this type of fuel instead of conventional electrochemical cells, to obtain economical energy from renewable sources and without the risk of fluctuating availability.

"I chose Politecnico di Milano for its excellent reputation: I am interested in Italian culture and this is the best place for what I want to develop". 

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