ICTP at TriesteNext Science Festival

ICTP will once again be part of Trieste's yearly public celebration of science, TriesteNext, which takes place from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 September. From exhibit spaces in the iconic Piazza Unita to talks and panel discussions throughout the city centre, Trieste's annual science festival spotlights research by some of the thousands of scientists who work at the city's universities and research institutes. The theme for this year's event is "Life Within: Conversations Across Science and Technology".

This year, ICTP is teaming up with The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), and the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) for an exhibit titled "Global Science for a Sustainable Future". The display and related activities will highlight the organisations' shared missions and combined impact on science in the global South. The institutes will highlight their UN connection by displaying SDG-related achievements.

In addition to the exhibit space, ICTP and TWAS have coordinated the following panel discussions; access to the talks is free but reservations are required (see the talks' web pages to reserve seats):

Friday 26 September:
Science and Technology: Changing Paradigms, Shaping Global Impact
18:00 to 19:15, Urban Centre

Organised by TWAS, this panel discussion (in English) will explore cutting-edge technologies through a Southern lens, fostering dialogues between old and new, North and South, body and machine, inclusivity and accessibility, past and future. Moderated by Cristina Serra, speakers include:

• Fetenech Meskele Ganebo, University of Wolaita Sodo
• Ahmed Hassoon, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Tahsina Farah Sanam, University of Engineering and Technology of Bangladesh

Saturday 27 September:

Thinking About the Quantum Future: The Italian Strategy
15:00 to 16.15, Palazzo della Regione, Salone di Rappresentanza, Riva del Mandracchio

Organised by ICTP, this roundtable will stimulate reflection on the importance of quantum science and technologies, providing a perspective for the future, and focusing on Italy's strategy, on the occasion of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, proclaimed by the United Nations to mark the 100th anniversary of the theory's first formulation. Moderated by Simona Regina, speakers include:

• Francesco Saverio Cataliotti, CNR-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
• Rosario Fazio, head of ICTP's Condensed Matter and Statistical Physics section
• Elisabetta Paladino, University of Catania

Other Events With ICTP Scientists

Two ICTP scientists have been invited to speak at other panel sessions during the festival: Erika Coppola, of ICTP's Earth System Physics section, will join a roundtable on 'Environmental Crisis: Scientific Data Calls for a Change of Course' (Friday 26 September, 16:30 to 17:45, Museo LETS, Piazza Attilio Hortis, 4); and ICTP emeritus scientist Claudio Tuniz of ICTP's Science, Technology and Innovation unit, will join a panel on 'Everything Migrates: Plants, Animals, People, and Languages' (Saturday 27 September, 16:30 to 17:45, Camera di Commercio di Trieste, Piazza della Borsa, 14).

On Friday, 26 September, Trieste will also join the European Researchers' Night - SHARPER, a celebration of science across the continent. A series of initiatives have been organised in town both on the Night and during the week preceding it. Ali Hassanali, of ICTP's Condensed Matter and Statistical Physics section, will meet high school students on Thursday 25 September to introduce them to "Microscopic marvels: the hidden world inside a drop of water". 

On Friday afternoon, at 17:00, Romina Molina of ICTP's Science, Technology and Innovation unit will be in Piazza Unità for Street Science, alongside other scientists from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Scientific and Innovation System (SiS FVG) to talk about how she develops "Small AI to solve big problems".