VIULECTURES 1|13

In collaboration with:

Wednesday 22 May, 2013

5 pm

Energy: Science and Communication

Piero Martin, Professor, Physics and Astronomy Department, University of Padova

Alessandra Viola, science journalist and writer

The lecture is dedicated to an introduction to the topics of energy science and communication as seen and used by a journalist and by a scientist. The starting point is that the ability to understand the basics of science and technology and the tools to communicate them, are key requirements in order to understand and to interact with the modern world. This is particularly important when dealing with subjects like energy, environment and sustainability.
Starting from the basic principles of thermodynamics – often used and mentioned also outside physics -, the speakers present the basics of the science of energy, of its transformations, of its impact on the environment and on sustainable development, and provide examples of tools, strategies and best practices in energy communication.

Piero Martin (1962) is professor of physics at the Physics and Astronomy Department of the University of Padova, and an active researcher in the field of thermonuclear fusion as an energy source. He is Fellow of the American Physical Society. He is the head of the scientific programme of the European fusion experiment RFX, coordinates the EFDA European Topical Group on "Plasma Stability and Control" and is deputy chair of the ITER International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) MHD Stability Topical Group. He is also chair of the Executive Committee of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Implementing Agreement on RFP research and director of the International Doctorate in Fusion Science and Engineering of the University of Padova. He has published more than 100 papers in international journals. He is also active in science outreach and divulgation, in particular in the area of energy science.

Alessandra Viola (1972) is a science journalist, writer, screenwriter, TV producer, and author of TV series. She has a PhD in Science Communication and in 2007 she won the Armenise-Harvard Foundation/UGSI Award for the best science article of the year. She works with major newspapers and magazines (La Repubblica, Il Sole 24 Ore, L'Espresso, Wired, Oxygen, RAI). From 2010 to 2012 she was reporter for the RAI science program Cosmo, and in 2013 she worked for the RAI program Metropoli. She has taught in courses on journalism, environmental communication and on-line journalism. She wrote the subject and the screenplay for several educational cartoons, coproduced by RAI and broadcast on the national RAI channels. With R. Vitellaro she wrote the book "Giovanni e Paolo e il mistero dei pupi", published by ERI-RAI in 2012 and with S. Mancuso the book "Verde Brillante. Intelligenza e sensibilità del mondo vegetale" (Giunti, 2013).

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday 15 March, 2013

11 am - 1 pm, Room 1G

Building a National Economy: Venice and the Veneto after 1866

Gianni Toniolo, Professor of Economic History at Duke University and at the LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome.

After 1815, Venice did not fit the geopolitical interests of the Hapsburg Empire: it slid into irrelevance as a minor harbor within a marginal sea. Recovery came only at the end of the century and was accelerated by the Great War and far-sighted, if controversial, industrial choices. After the Second World War, Greater Venice could not be more different from Thomas Mann's Venice. A third transformation took place from the 1970s onward, less dynamic than the previous one, perhaps fit to the post-modern era. The future hangs in the balance: it will be decided by transport infrastructures, the revival of the port, the re-use of huge areas on the Lagoon's edge, the vitality of the university and other cultural institutions.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday 20 March, 2013
5 pm, Room 1G

Restoration of wetland ecosystems in the face of climate change: lessons from San Francisco Bay

John Callaway, Professor of environmental science, applied ecology, wetlands, and restoration ecology at University of San Francisco.

Wetlands are unusual ecosystems found at the transition between upland/terrestrial and aquatic systems. Because of their unique properties and location, they provide important benefits, or "ecostystem services", to humans, here in the Venice Lagoon and around the world. Despite these benefits they have been severely impacted by human activities, and only recently has interest grown in restoring wetlands. In San Francisco Bay, the wetlands have been subject to significant restoration efforts over the last 40 years, and these activities offer potential lessons for restoration activities in the Venice Lagoon.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday 22 March, 2013
9.15 am – 1.00 pm, Room 1G

Water and Globalization
Coordinated by Carlo Giupponi, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia and Director of Changes Doctoral School on Global Change Science and Policy

On World Water Day, VIU and Ca’ Foscari will hold an interdisciplinary workshop on management, preservation and improvement of water resources. Introductory lectures will be given on the topic of water and globalization and presentations of case studies of international cooperation for development in the water sector.

 
The workshop is arranged in cooperation with Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, and the University Cooperation and Development Network coordinated by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Program of the Day

www.univiu.org
Venice International University
Isola di San Servolo, Venezia
041 2719 511
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

How to get to VIU: www.univiu.org/campus/boat-timetable