INGV newsletter | no.4 | June | 2019 | year XIII

"Nature and Science on the same wavelength"

The Italian Arctic base (CNR) "Dirigibile Italia" at the Svalbard islands (Norway). In the background the laser beam of the LIDAR installed in the German base and a beautiful aurora borealis.

President's editorial

The month of June contains the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, an event that transports the days from one season to another, where the sowing of spring finds its fruits in the fields of summer. Our June 2019 was also intense and, like the "door" of the summer solstice, we remembered the past, renewed the present, sowed the future.

The GSSI is a concrete example of resilience. Interview with the Rector Eugenio Coccia

One of the consequences that the earthquake of 6 April 2009 in L'Aquila brought with it was the depopulation of the "University City". Subsequently, the scientific community reacted with a rebirth project that had the aim of creating a modern city of knowledge capable of attracting highly qualified people, simultaneously starting a process of repopulation. Thus was born the GSSI, an international doctoral school, research center and higher education. Its founder and current Rector, Eugenio Coccia, an internationally renowned physicist, told us about himself and how this scientific excellence was born.

The computerized X-ray microtomography laboratory

The computerized X-ray microtomography laboratory of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology deals with the study of natural phenomena in contexts of volcanic and seismic risk (vesiculation mechanisms, crystallization and magmatic fragmentation, propagation of fractures, circulation of fluids, processes of alteration, etc.). Present within the Vesuvius Observatory of Naples (OV-INGV), it is coordinated by the researcher Lucia Pappalardo, to whom we asked what she does.

The ZEISS Xradia 410 Versa System

Information from the past to understand today's seismic events: the catalog of strong earthquakes in Italy

A study has recently been published on the Catalog of Strong Earthquakes, the CFTI5Med, an easy-to-consult collection where it is possible to visualize the seismic events that occurred in the Italian area between 461 BC and 1997 and those of the Mediterranean area, between 760 BC and 1500. Italy boasts a catalog like few others, this is because historical seismology in our country rests on a long tradition. This allows us to know in detail the effects of the great events of history. Why is it so important? Gianluca Valensise, Research Director of INGV, has revealed to us the secrets kept by past earthquakes.

IT HAPPENED TODAY

in June

The Mobility Manager at INGV in Rome

For some months there has been a lot of talk in the media about a real ecological revolution with thousands of kids, "led" by the very young Greta Thunberg, who are asking the world's powerful for a more sustainable planet. By embracing this spirit of initiative, Carlo Alberto Brunori, Raffaele Di Stefano and Mario Anselmi (INGV researchers) have been carrying out since 2016, through the figure of the Mobility Manager, an activity aimed at promoting the reduction of the load of environmental pollution produced by each single car or moped used to reach the workplace and, in general, to move around the city. We talked about it with Carlo Alberto Brunori who, together with Di Stefano and Anselmi, holds the position of Mobility Manager at INGV.

past appointments