On Thursday 19 May 2011 the new PV device situated in the Pisa CUS area in Via Federico Chiarugi was inaugurated.  It was donated to the University of Pisa by Mitsubishi Electric and was created through collaboration with the company Flyby and the 'Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di San Miniato'.  Present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony were the chancellor, Massimo Augello,   the vice mayor, Paolo Ghezzi,  the president of the Province, Andrea Pieroni,  the President of Pisa CUS, Denny Innamorati,  the Mitsibushi Electric Photosensitive Italian Branch division manager, Gualtiero Seva, and the general manager of 'Flyby srl', Emilio Simeone.  Also present were the council-minister for socio-educational and scholastic policy, Marilù Chiofalo,  the vice chancellor for building and construction, Sandro Paci,  the administrative director of the University, Riccardo Grasso, and the energy manager of the University, Antonio Viti.

The new installation is part of a broader collaboration project between the University of Pisa and Mitsubishi Electric and comes after the creation of a 5kWp PV installation with fixed structure, installed in 2008 on the roof of the Aerospace Engineering Department.  On the whole,  the project sets out to create other PV diverse installations – monocrystalline, polycrstalline, amorphous, fixed or 'tracking' panels – for monitoring and analysing electric energy production over the course of a few years  and for obtaining important information on the productivity of diverse types of panels in our geographical area.  The objectives are:  1)  to contribute to the safeguarding of the environment thanks to the employment of solar energy, 2) spread the culture of renewable sources and therefore 3)  contribute to a more sustainable society.

Mitsubishi Electric has always been interested in  promoting environment sustaining projects- in the first place the program for long term  environmental management called:  'Environmental Vision 2021' which aims to obtain significant and specific results in this field by the year 2021 – the centenary year of the company's foundation.

The installation inaugurated at the CUS centre consists of two bi-axle trackers which guarantee optimisation of the panels' surfaces with respect to solar direction.  This type of installation has around a 30% higher electric production compared to a type with fixed corners.  Sixteen PV modules in 185Wp polycrystalline silicon were installed upon two trackers thus creating a nominal total power of 2.96 kWp.  The surface occupied is 7x20 metres, including the distance of around 12 metres between the  trackers allowed for so as to avoid having shadows between the two installations during an entire day.

The structure of Via Chiarugi has already allowed the avoidance of emissions of around 3,400 kg. Of CO2 into the atmosphere: saving such a large quantity of carbon dioxide is the same as having planted a wood of more than 5,000 square metres.  The PV installation enjoys an exchange with the electric grid ENEL and, since it is a non-integrated system applied to a public structure, it has a contribution in energy cost of 0.41 Euros/kwh produced.  Its annual productivity  is around 4,6000 kWh , which all get absorbed by the CUS with an annual savings of around 2,000 Euros.

“This installation,” the Chancellor Massimo Augello said, “covers a small part of the energetic demands of the CUS,  but its completion in a sports structure is an example of the attention the University of Pisa is dedicating to themes relating to the environment.  And, furthermore, the CUS is frequented every day by hundreds of students doing sports.  For this I wish to thank Mitsubishi Electric and the other partners who have made this achievement possible.”

“We are very happy to be at Pisa again to inaugurate an installation that produces clean energy,” declared Gualtiero Seva, Mitsubishi Electric PV Italian Branch division manager.  “Collaboration between us and the University of Pisa initiated some years ago with the donation of this device from the Department of Aerospace Engineering, continues with this new creation and is destined to develop new important projects also in the future.  Our objective, together with the University, is to help students and future energy managers familiarise themselves with photosensitive technology.”

“We are honoured that the University has chosen our centre for testing this new technology,” concluded the Pisa CUS president, Denny Innamorati.  “This mirrors the young spirit, innovative mentality and desire for experimentation which we wish to bring to the CUS .  It is not by chance that one of the missions of the new Executive Council, recently elected, is a new energy policy that contributes to the reduction of costs and noxious emissions.  These installations are frequent not only because of the very large numbers of young university students, but also due to the thousands of children involved in our scholastic projects on the setting up of sports activities: a perfect alliance, therefore, between sport, clean energy and young generations.”       

Francesca Larosa, a student in her second year at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Pisa, will represent Italy as ‘development minister’ at the next G8/G20 Youth Summits which will be held in Paris from 29 May to 3 June 2011.  The Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Dianora Poletti, and the Vice Chancellor Rosalba Tognetti wished to meet Francesca, on Monday 23 May, to express their full support on behalf of the Faculty and of  Pisa University.  Also present were Professor Riccardo Cambini, president of the degree course in Economics and Professor Davide Fiaschi, who is collaborating with Francesca on the drafting of a paper to be given in France.

Francesca Larosa, who is twenty years old and originally from La Spezia, was selected among hundreds of diverse candidates and will be part of the Italian delegation with another seven young ‘ministers’, all from Roman Universities.  Over the past weeks she already started to work together with foreign colleagues to decide upon an agenda for meetings, outline  the outward positions of the diverse participating countries and write a document describing the national position on questions under discussion.

Once in Paris, her duty will be to develop international collaboration while trying to reach a shared approach regarding three fundamental topics:  1)  food security, with particular reference to food prices and the volatility which characterises them, while forcing many nations to suffer hunger;  2)  the creation of new forms of development that can be applied with success on an international level and which are proving to be more remunerative;  and 3)  the question of emergency, above all relating to aspects of prevention.

The G8/G20 Youth Summits, which will take place at the 'Università' ESCP Europe', have obtained official support from the French presidency and have been recognised as unique official events parallel to the G8 and G20 Summits.  This year they will be about the topic of 'Global transition towards a multilateral and sustainable world.'  The delegates will have the duty of drafting a final text which will mirror the position of the world's youth. The document will be consigned to the presidency of the G8 and G20 and to the national governments.

In only a few weeks it has become the most downloaded course on 'iTunesU Italia', with lessons that teach how to program (by yourself) the famous 'App' for smart phone and tablet under guidance from an expert of the CNR (Italian National Centre for Research).  The course on 'Development of applicatiosn for iOS' was an exceptional success.  It was organised by the I.T. Department of the University of Pisa in collaboration with Data Apple Solution Expert, attended 'in a lecture classroom' by 60 students, and downloaded free of charge 'on line' by thousands of users who connect onto the University of Pisa 'iTunesU' pages.

The twelve lessons, held by Professor Goran Djukic of the CNR, help keen users to transform themselves into application developers for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad with specific focus on language, interface and design.  This is a unique initiative in Italy, which follows the course set up by the American University of Stanford, the first to organise a specific course for the creation of 'App' for the Apple's operative system which renders it available on the 'iTunesU' pages. 

The success of the course at the University of Pisa, organised by Professor Maria Simi, has induced the I.T. Department to set up a Master's course on designing applications for all smartphones  including the Android operative system.

The 'Laboratory of digital culture' has been in charge of managing recording and publication of the 'iTunesU' course which is available on the University of Pisa 'iTunesU' page: 

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=434824250

They live at extreme opposite ends of the planet but thanks to ocean currents they stay in contact with one another thus guaranteeing a common genetic heritage.  They are Euplotes nobilii, a species of marine micro-organism  with a marked gift of adaptation at very low temperatures  which, as the name itself says – from the Greek, 'good navigator' –  move through the oceans from the South Pole to the North Pole while ensuring interactions of a conspecific  nature, potentially significant as indices of climatic change in progress.

This important discovery was made by Graziano Di Giuseppe, Professor of Protistanology at the University of Pisa, who, together with a team of researchers, analysed the physiological-behavioural nature of 18 families of the ciliate Euplotes nobilii in the sediments of the coastal waters of the Antarctic  areas (Bay of Newfoundland, The Ross Sea and Tierra del Fuego seas) and Arctic areas (The Svalbard Islands and north-western Greenland).

This research has shown that the South Pole-North Pole exchange between the conspecific  populations of Euplotes nobilii takes place via passive transport of individuals from the deep parts of  ocean currents characterised by low temperatures.  Furthermore, recognition among individuals for coupling, with the objective of interpolar genetic exchange, is mediated by liberated molecules in the atmosphere (pheromones) whose efficiency in guaranteeing sexual recognition of partners is limited to a few units if not to a uniqueness.  The structure of these molecules of a proteinic  nature is surprisingly stable and supports very broad variations of temperature.

The results obtained by Di Giuseppe, from the Department of Biology at the University of Pisa, were reached thanks also to the availability at the centre in Via Volta of the most consistent collection presently in existence of protistans 'a vita libera' :  eucariotic, cosmopolitan and ubiquitous unicellular organisms, representatives of the first great evolutionary  and ancestral leap of all the higher vegetable, animal and fungus-like multi-cellular organisms.

The characteristics of Euplotes have drawn the interest of Kurt Wuthrich, Nobel Prize winner for chemistry in 2002, who, in association also with protistologists of the 'Camerino' group – a branch of the one in Pisa, contributed to the conclusion of a paper recently published in a prestigious scientific journal:  The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.

An exceptional evening – given the unprecedented results of Saturday 14 May at the 'Museo di Storia Naturale' of the University of Pisa.  More than 1,100 people including adults and children went to this event at the 'Certosa di Calci' and took part in the many activities on the program.  The protagonists of the evening were the dinosaurs, whose secrets and curiosities were the object of practical experience, games for the very young and guided tours with particular focus on an exhibition about the digs the Museum are carrying out in Patagonia and in the Pisan hills (with an interest in dinosaurs).  The new technology of the data-matrix codes was experimented which allows personalised access to information on the findings exhibited via mobile phones and smart phones.

As well as dinosaurs the visitors could admire the other rooms where findings of various sectors were on show with explanations and in-depth detail.

In the aquariums – the 'live' part of the Museum – spectacular fresh water fish from all over the world were presented.  In the Vulcanology  section talks were given on active volcanoes in Italy by the demonstration of diverse types of rocks and the simulation of 'real life' eruptions with a volcano in miniature.  In the Protistology  room, the protists – particular unicellular micro-organisms – were explained with projections, tri-dimensional  models and through observation under a microscope.

The director of the Museum, Walter Landini, wishes to thank the delegate for the administrative director of the Museum, Sabrina Balestri, and  the staff of the Palaeontology and education services sector who contributed to the success of the event:  Chiara Sorbini, Angela Dini, Livia Chiappini, Silvia Sorbi, Patrizia Scaglia, Ivan Norscia, Simone Farina, Alessandra Bardi, Morgana Vighi, Martina Calamusa.  He also wishes to thank Patrizia Landi, Ilaria Isola, Paola Dal Carlo and Marina Bisson from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology   section at Pisa.;  Professor Graziano di Giuseppe from the Italian Society of Protistanology Onlus with Doctor Franco Cantarano and the Civic Museum of Rovereto.  Special thanks goes to Inna Razumova from the Colser Cooperative.

Si terrà lunedì 27 e martedì 28 giugno 2011, alla facoltà pisana di Scienze politiche, la due giorni di studio sui temi della detenzione e delle esperienze che ruotano attorno al pianeta carcere, con particolare attenzione ai processi della formazione, organizzata dal dipartimento di Scienze politiche e sociali e dal dottorato di ricerca in Storia e sociologia della modernità dell'Università di Pisa, e dal Polo penitenziario carcerario "Renzo Corticelli".

L'emergenza carcere ha raggiunto ormai anche il nostro Paese: sovraffollamento, suicidi, massiccia presenza di detenuti immigrati, riduzione delle misure alternative, diminuzione della spesa sociale sono soltanto alcuni dei segnali di un mutamento più ampio che coinvolge tutto l'approccio alle politiche detentive, che dall'obiettivo primario della risocializzazione si orientano sempre più verso l'applicazione di dinamiche repressive e verso un aumento conseguente del peso dello stato penale. Una tale situazione richiede una riflessione, un momento di dialogo collettivo che faccia luce sulle pratiche oggi in auge nei sistemi di reclusione – le quali prescindono sempre più dalla garanzia dei diritti costituzionali anche dei detenuti - e soprattutto sugli effetti che tali pratiche comportano per i detenuti stessi.

Il convegno "Il carcere in-formazione: esperienze a confronto" vuole essere un primo tentativo in questa direzione e un appuntamento di "raccolta" delle esperienze maturate negli anni da chi, a livello accademico e sociale, si adopera nel campo della formazione. Per questo motivo operatori penitenziari (tra gli altri, Maria Pia Giuffrida, provveditore regionale dell'amministrazione penitenziaria; Vittorio Cerri, direttore della Casa circondariale "Don Bosco"; Andrea Callaioli, garante per i diritti del detenuto del "Don Bosco"), docenti (Il rettore Mario Augello, la protettrice per il Territorio, Maria Antonella Galanti, il delegato del rettore per il Polo universitario penitenziario, Andrea Borghini, il preside della facoltà di Scienze politiche, Claudio Palazzolo), studiosi delle Università di Pisa, Firenze, Siena, Napoli e Salerno, esperti dell'associazionismo (CESVOT, Associazioni Volontariato Penitenziario Firenze, Controluce Pisa, Antigone Firenze, Arci Libera) e gli stessi studenti-detenuti si incontrano e si confrontano, a partire dalle realtà presenti e attive al Polo universitario di Pisa, per individuare prospettive future, arricchire i progetti comuni, garantire il rispetto della persona e dei suoi diritti costituzionali. Il carcere, allora, non può più essere inteso come il contenitore degli "incorreggibili", ma come uno strumento attivo di civiltà e di miglioramento della società tutta.

È stato assegnato a Elena Michelini, studentessa lucchese della facoltà di Economia, il "Premio Qualità 2011" per aver conseguito il punteggio più alto nell'elaborato d'esame del corso su "Sistemi di gestione e certificazione della qualità", tenuto dal professor Alfredo Stefani all'interno del corso di laurea specialistica in "Strategia, management e controllo". L'iniziativa, ideata dalla professoressa Angela Tarabella, ha trovato pieno consenso all'interno della facoltà di Economia e il sostegno della preside, Dianora Poletti.

Il premio consiste nella possibilità di effettuare una visita ispettiva in un'azienda certificata ISO 9001, in affiancamento a un auditor esperto della qualità, messa a disposizione dalla società SGS Italia spa di Livorno. In questo modo la studentessa potrà mettere in pratica le conoscenze acquisite durante il corso di studio.

Si terrà venerdì 24 giugno 2011, alle ore 17 al Polo livornese di Sistemi Logistici dell'Università di Pisa, nella sede di Villa Letizia, il convegno "I Paesi arabi tra caos e riforme. Il Marocco e la via della moderazione". A distanza di appena una settimana dalla presentazione della nuova Costituzione marocchina e dallo storico discorso di Re Mohammed VI che ha annunciato il referendum popolare del primo luglio, Livorno si propone dunque come luogo di discussione sul futuro del Mediterraneo. Lo fa attraverso un'iniziativa che, come ha ricordato l'assessore del Comune di Livorno, Giovanna Colombini, sottolinea il contributo che città di porto quali Casablanca, Tangeri e Livorno e le università possono dare alla cooperazione e alla costruzione di nuovi legami culturali ed economici nel Mediterraneo.

Nel corso del convegno, che sarà moderato da Stefano Polli, redattore capo degli Esteri dell'Ansa, interverranno Hassan Abouyoub, ambasciatore del Regno del Marocco a Roma; Gianluca Ansalone, analista strategico ed esperto di sicurezza; Alessandro Cosimi, sindaco di Livorno; Teresio Delfino, presidente dell'Associazione di amicizia e cooperazione Italia-Marocco; Giuliano Gallanti, presidente dell'Autorità portuale; Margherita Paolini, coordinatrice scientifica della rivista "Limes".

Saranno presenti anche Nicoletta De Francesco, prorettore vicario dell'Università di Pisa e presidente del Polo Sistemi logistici di Livorno, Houdaifa Ameziane, rettore dell'Università di Tangeri, e Abdellatif Komat, vice presidente dell'Università Hassan II di Casablanca.

In concomitanza con il convegno sarà firmato un importante accordo di cooperazione con l'Università Hassan II di Casablanca e con l'Università Abdelmalek Essaadi di Tétouan-Tageri. L'accordo, i cui partner italiani sono l'Autorità portuale di Livorno, il Comune di Livorno, il Polo di Sistemi Logistici dell'Università di Pisa e la Scuola Sant'Anna, è relativo alla didattica, alla formazione e alla ricerca applicata in tema di trasporti, logistica e portualità.

L'Università di Pisa, nell'ambito del piano di ottimizzazione del suo patrimonio immobiliare, ha deliberato un programma di vendita sia di fabbricati e appartamenti situati in Pisa città sia di poderi nelle zone di Tombolo e San Piero a Grado. Nel programma è prevista la cessione di immobili non necessari allo svolgimento delle attività di didattica e di ricerca, il cui ricavato è destinato a contribuire alla manutenzione, messa a norma e valorizzazione del restante patrimonio immobiliare.

In particolare, è in attualmente in vendita, mediante asta pubblica, il complesso immobiliare "Podere Poggio al Lupo", situato in Pisa, via Aurelia sud, in prossimità della frazione di Stagno (Collesalvetti). Si tratta di un interessante complesso costituito da vari fabbricati di tipologia rurale: nella casa colonica principale, di interesse storico, sono presenti tre unità abitative con acceso indipendente, altre due unità, con locali accessori al piano terra, sono nel fabbricato retrostante da ristrutturare; completano il complesso un fabbricato ex-stalla ad uso magazzino e altri piccoli annessi ex-rurali. La superficie coperta complessiva è di circa mq. 1.240, con una volumetria di circa mc. 5.200 e terreno annesso di oltre 1 ettaro.

Il prezzo a base d'asta è di Euro 600.000 con termine per la presentazione delle offerte fissato al 13 luglio 2011.

A breve sarà anche venduto, con asta pubblica, un appartamento nella centrale Piazza Dante Alighieri del centro storico di Pisa, al prezzo di Euro 210.000,00. L'appartamento, in buono stato di conservazione, è costituito da quattro vani principali, oltre disimpegno e servizio igienico (superficie calpestabile mq. 60,79).

Per informazioni è possibile fare riferimento al sito internet dell'Ateneo http://patrimonio.unipi.it/ o rivolgersi all'Ufficio Patrimonio (tel. 050 2212924-2212342 e-mail: Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo. ).

An electromagnetic navigation system for endovascular surgery with the aim of providing assistance to the surgeon -  just as satellite navigators (GPS) in cars allow drivers to see their own position on a virtual road map.  This is the result of research carried out by Sara Condino, biomedic engineer who obtained her doctorate at the 'Centro EndoCAS' of the University of Pisa, managed by Professor Franco Mosca and coordinated by Professor Mauro Ferrari, who received the 'Barlettani' Prize promoted by the Cecina-Rosignano Rotary Club  and the Cecina Lions Club.

This recognition rewarded research in the field of computer assisted surgery, that allows clinical images acquired in pre-operative phases (with imaging CT systems) or in intra-operative phases (with rotational radiological scanners) to be utilised for creating tri-dimensional  anatomic 'maps'.  Thus, while the surgeon carries out the procedure, the navigation system monitors the displacement of endovascular instruments and shows their exact position on a monitor inside the tri-dimensional  model of the patients' vascular tree.

Surgical endovascular procedures are traditionally carried out under fluoroscopic guide, bio-dimensional  imaging modalities based on X-rays.  The system designed by Sara Condino allows  reduction of the number of fluoroscopic images necessary for  carrying out the procedure.  It also reduces to a minimum the exposure level of medical personnel and patients to  X-rays.  Furthermore, it will reduce technical difficulties for the surgeon due to his/her lack of tri-dimensional  spatial perception.

(Press Office AOUP)