Upo presents ‘Research Week’: events at all three locations to celebrate science

Alexandria Eastern Piedmont University today presented the first edition of Research Week at a press conference: an absolute value novelty in the presentation of UPO events, which was strongly promoted by the Rector. Gian Carlo Avanzi was born from the urgent need to bring non-experts closer to scientific culture to better understand the problems of everyday life, and from researchers’ desire to make their knowledge available.
The University has participated in the European Researchers’ Night for seventeen years and has already tested the “Children’s University” on several occasions and PhD presentations who have been awarded the Research Doctorate. Starting this year, new proposals have been added that are collected, along with already known events, in one container. It is a scientific festival of eastern Piedmont, created with the support of the cities of Alessandria, Novara and Vercelli, the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation and Buzzi Unicem, joined by about 230 animators, including professors, PhDs, PhD students, students, students and staff of the UPO. All details are described on the website https://settimanaricerca.uniupo.it.
Research Week will take place from 23-30 September 2022, with an expected Thursday 22nd.
From 10 am, the Department for Sustainable Development and Environmental Transformation (DISSTE) will celebrate the conference “Reflections on Open Access between Opportunities and Problems” in the Great Hall of the University of Vercelli (Crypt of S. Andrea). Entry is free and no reservations required.
Friday 23, first big news. In Broletto di Novara (in case of bad weather in Salone dell’Arengo), from 20.30 there will be a “UPO Science Slam”, a science publishing and entertainment event that was born in Germany, quickly spread in Europe but is little known in Italy. Fifteen young researchers out of 71 candidates compete to present their research in three minutes. The audience, present and caller during the broadcast, will vote for the best presentation. An audience vote will be added to the jury’s vote of twelve experts to determine the final standings. You can freely come to Broletto for Science Slam without a reservation; Those who follow it from home will find ways to connect and vote on the site.
Again in Vercelli, Monday 26 September, in the main hall of the S. Luigi Panza complex, President of the University’s Faculty of Higher Education (SAF). The event will be animated by seven UPO PhD students who will present their research work. They will be preceded by the guest of honor, Professor Luigi Stripoli of the University of Bologna, with a Masters lecture on “Jerome Legone, the discovery of trisomy 21 and the search for a cure for Down syndrome”. Entry is free, no reservation required. On the same day, again in Complex S. Next, the new Research, Information and Technology Center of Buzzi Unicem Group, UPO’s Featured Partner, will be organizing Thursday afternoon 29th “open doors” from 3-6 pm.
From Tuesday 27th to Thursday 29th the “UPO Junior” will be held in all three locations of the university, and it is a “classic” that many girls, boys and teachers have been waiting for. Born as an offshoot of Scholar’s Night, of which Children’s University has always been an integral part, UPO Junior has been enhanced, with a fresh look, new formula, and a richer, clearer calendar in the Three Cities. The event is for elementary and middle schools. The UPO Junior Laboratories will take place on Tuesday 27 in Novara at Perrone Campus, on Wednesday 28 in Alessandria on the Palazzo Borsalino site, and on Thursday 29 in Vercelli at the S. Giuseppe complex. Schools should book activities by calling 320 1849372 or 0161 261524.
The week will conclude its climax on Friday 30 September in Alessandria, at DISIT headquarters, with a highlight: the 17th edition of the Research Night, dedicated this year to the theme “Science, War and Peace”. The organizing committee, headed by the university president himself, commented on the choice of the subject for this year: «In public opinion, science and war are closely related. Science provides more and more advanced weapons of war, now equipped with artificial intelligence; Many scientific discoveries have arisen from the need for new tools of warfare and scientists involved in this sector have always received significant funding. However, the flag’s statute exudes a commitment to maintaining peace and respect for human rights. The same scientific method is based on participation, transparency and cooperation among scientists. What position should science take in this difficult search for balance? What are the responsibilities of scientists? Does the ethics of science exist, is the ethics of science known and shared? “
These questions will have a first answer with the keynote address of General Paolo Capetini, a famous military analyst with long experience in missions abroad, professor of military history at the Army Non-Commissioned Officer’s School in Viterbo and at the University of Tocia, which hosts many television broadcasts. The title of his speech is “Science and War. Light and Darkness.” So he will speak of this irreconcilable and inseparable duality, just like yin and yang in the human soul: striving for good, but still doing evil, and justifying it by necessity or by the occurrence of greater danger. Ideas will be collected by our researchers, Who prepared 2 round tables, 4 conferences, 2 workshops, 2 dialogues, 1 exhibition, 1 simulation and 10 videos.Entry is free, but it is necessary to book for activities using the form on site.
Finally, the research week is enriched with the “AGING Project UPO” conference which will be held in Novara from Thursday 29 to Friday 30 September. The conference is dedicated to the topic “Healthy and Active Aging, from Research to Prospects for Treatment”, the conference is the first moment in which Eastern Piedmont University presents and discusses the results and perspectives of the excellent project of the Department of Medicine
Translational, which has been aiming since 2018 to address the scientific and social challenge of aging. The first two days of the conference (September 29 and 30) are aimed at health professionals and researchers, with plenary and parallel sessions. On the other hand, October 1st targets citizens, through meetings dedicated to promoting a healthy lifestyle and developing greater awareness of health issues. All initiatives can be found on the website https://agingproject.uniupo.it.