In evidenza:

4th Scientific Symposium of the Forum Accademico Italiano e.V..

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

it is with great pleasure that we announce the 4th Scientific Symposium of the Forum Accademico Italiano e.V..

As per tradition, the Symposium will take place at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura under the flagship of the Consolato Generale d'Italia in Cologne. On May 3rd, 2019 the fourth Symposium will also partake for the second time to the celebrations of the International Italian Research Day (giornata internazionale della ricerca italiana nel mondo) established last year by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR) on the occasion of Leonardo da Vinci's birthday (April 15th). 2019 will also mark 500 years since Leonardo died (May 2nd).

After the success of the first editions of the Scientific Symposium of the Forum Accademico Italiano (crowned 2016, 2017 and 2018 by the keynote lectures of Professor Giovanni Andrea Prodi on gravitational waves, of Professor Pierluigi Nicotera on aging and neurodegeration, as well as of Professor Paolo Giubellino on the FAIR Darmstadt, respectively), we are delighted to announce that the annual symposium 2019 will be inaugurated by Samantha Cristoforetti from the ESA / European Astronaut Centre.

Born in Milan, Italy, on 26 April 1977 Samantha Cristoforetti completed her secondary education at the Liceo Scientifico in Trento, Italy, and graduated 2001 from the Technische Universität Munich, Germany, with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering with specialisations in aerospace propulsion and lightweight structures. In 2001 she joined the Italian Air Force, was admitted to the Air Force Academy as an officer candidate and served as class leader for four years. Following her graduation in 2005, she attended the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program at Sheppard Air Force Base in the United States, where she earned her fighter pilot wings in 2006. Samantha Cristoforetti was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009. She joined ESA in September 2009 and completed her basic astronaut training in November 2010. In March 2012 she was assigned to fly as flight engineer on the Soyuz TMA-15M, as part of the crew of Expedition 42/43 on the International Space Station. On 23 November, 2014 she was launched from the cosmodrome of Baikonur in Kazakhstan. She returned to Earth on 11 June, 2015 after spending 200 days in space, currently the longest spaceflight of a European. The mission, which was given the name Futura, was the second long-duration flight opportunity for the Italian Space Agency, the eighth for an ESA astronaut. In July 2015 Samantha Cristoforetti was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by the Italian president.

Samantha Cristoforetti will open the fourth Scientific Symposium of the Forum Accademico Italiano e.V. with a lecture entitled "Human space exploration - ISS and beyond", which will be followed as usual by a multidisciplinary poster session and reception which you are all cordially invited to participate to. As displayed in the attachment, please do take the chance and submit a poster on your activities and research within April 12th, 2019. The template for poster submission is available upon request by contacting us at this address.

As per tradition, the event will be introduced by our hosts, the General Consul Pierluigi Giuseppe Ferraro and the Director of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Maria Mazza.
Matteo Pardo gently accepted our invitation to present the latest data on the Italian research community in Germany and abroad in his role of scientific attaché of the Italian Embassy in Berlin.

The symposium will begin at 6pm (18 Uhr s.t.). You can find flyer and details on the keynote lecturer on our website at www.fai.science.
Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at the email address below.

With warm regards,

M. Cristina Polidori
Scientific coordinator of the Forum Accademico Italiano e.V.
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Message from the Past President of the Forum Accademico Italiano e.V. for 2019

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

it seems incredible but three presidential years are over and I wish to share with you my profound gratefulness to all those - many - who allowed the Forum Accademico Italiano e.V. to grow so much during this exciting time.

I thank the colleagues of the management board for the several constructive meetings as well as the Consolato Generale d'Italia a Colonia and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura a Colonia for the continuous support to the Forum's initiatives.

Thanks also to the coordinators of special interest groups and former members of the management board for the success of the many FAI activities: Dr. Pellicano for the organization of the fruitful seminars in various disciplines from Philosophy to Psychology and Medicine, Dr. Prodi-Schwab for the excellent collaboration regarding the annual scientific symposia, Dr. Libbi for the resonance achieved among italian students and families through the latest two editions of the language competition "Lingua è Cultura". Regarding the latter, I'd also like to thank all the teachers of the several NRW schools having Italian as a subject and the students taking part to the competition.

I thank the over ten speakers who accepted to give lectures and talks at our symposia, workshops and seminars. A special thanks goes to the keynote speakers of the annual scientific symposia 2015-2018 and honorary members of the Forum Accademico Italiano e.V. Professor Giovanni Andrea Prodi, Professor Pierluigi Nicotera and Professor Paolo Giubellino for having made us part of their world-renown engagement as italian scientists in Germany and abroad.

Finally I'd like to thank all the members of the FAI for their presence, support, interest and encouraging feedback during the years. Thanks to them, the FAI could grow to an active group of not only excellent experts in their fields from arts (music, photography, painting, theater, dance) to humanities to several scientific fields including physics, medicine, genetics, biology and chemistry; thanks to them indeed, the incredible richness and colourfulness of Italian minds and spirits across Germany and in the European context has been available "at glance".

I wish all of you and your families a 2019 full of health and success and the elected management board of the Forum Accademico Italiano the openness, curiosity, authenticity, team spirit and willing to share needed to reach more and more people as well as all further goals. Ad Maiora!

M. Cristina Polidori MD PhD FRCP

Past President Forum Accademico Italiano e.V.