Moon and Space Cheerleaders, Forli Guides (from the Aerospace Engineering Campus, UniBo) • Canal Gianella

TheOn February 13, 2012, ALMASat, the first small satellite entirely designed and built by the University of Bologna, was launched into orbit at its young branch in Forlì. Since March 2015, advanced aerodynamics have been studied, according to the Forli researchers, in CICLoPE, a 60-meter wind tunnel constructed from the former Officine Caproni. Back in 2018 Curti srl tested on its chopper, exhalation, the first ballistic parachute designed for a helicopter. In the project, Forli researchers oversaw the creation of a remote command system. Pick up your smartphone and find the city of Forlì, in the heart of Romania, on the popular interactive map app. With sufficient magnification, in the southeast area of ​​the city, near the airport, one can find the College of Aeronautical Engineering, and scrolling a little higher, one will finally come to a gray parallelepiped, of very dubious aesthetic value, which is commonly called the “Workers”TechnopoolIt would be amazing to know that there, in that point of our beloved Little Italy, there is a center of excellence in aviation and space research, from collaborations with the European Space Agency, the European Space Agency, to the development of autonomous flight systems and beyond.. But that’s not all. Thing: The College of Engineering in Forlì, the young satellite of the most sacred and most revered Bolognese alma mater, produces young engineers and researchers of enviable scientific-technical value.

I make this assumption to present my very personal (and highly questionable) opinion regarding young and small Italian universities, their teaching quality and some advantages and advantages, perhaps obvious, compared to more cohesive and giant universities and courses. It would be a proposal to the city, or perhaps an idea of ​​a better level of training and postgraduate possibilities, but today, more than ever, young people who have “matured” when faced with the choice of university, tend to focus on the most impressive, both in terms of history or the number of members, which are headquartered in major Italian cities.

On the other hand, if one could only appreciate this tendency in boys and girls to open themselves to greater truths and to seek “beyond”, it would sometimes be appropriate to reconsider some of the strategic advantages that a young university, or even a regional one, can offer. requester. What can be created in studios of the most modest dimensions, in fact, is an incomparable sense of home, welcome and collaboration. Everything is measured and tailored to the student, from the professors, who really only have a numerical relationship, and often have a more direct exchange with the students, to the students themselves, who know each other practically, and become real hosts. social communication. Besides, the level of teaching is often not lower than that of the “older brothers”, and also in terms of research, for those who are fearless who choose this pleasant walk over burning coals, the possibility of having a role, and some gratification, within an environment Content, is in my opinion more realistic.

Finally, if it is true that in terms of “firepower”, understood as collaborations and economic potential, historical faculties have an advantage, then among the younger ones there is no shortage of ability to grow and weave the threads of growing strength with companies and research institutions in the region. An example of excellence in this is the aforementioned Faculty of Aeronautical Engineering based in Forlì, which was recently visited by a group of reporters from UGIS (Union of Italian Science Journalists). Founded in the 1990s, the college now constitutes an excellent training and research center in continuous growth and development. Research activities today cover a wide range of aerospace investigation areas: from innovative technologies to artificial intelligence, from propulsion to experimental aerodynamics, from autonomous driving systems to space science and technology. In a period when distance learning, by reducing the costs associated with living away from home in large cities, has implicitly hurt some smaller universities, it has proven expedient to reassess universities/colleges and courses, at their actual potential, perhaps even lower. Famous and younger, but willing to give the best to their students and researchers