On Monday, March 18th, the Generali Convention Center in Trieste hosted “Science, Industry, and Sustainable Future,” a meeting for the fourth and fifth classes of secondary schools in anticipation of the Big Science Business Forum (BSBF) that Trieste and the convention center will host next October. The event was organized by: FIT-Fondazione Internazionale Trieste, Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, PromoTurismoFVG, Immaginario Scientifico, and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics – IUPAP, S4SF, in collaboration with: Area Science Park, Elettra Synchrotron Trieste, National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics – OGS, National Institute of Nuclear Physics – INFN Section of Trieste, National Institute of Astrophysics – INAF Astronomical Observatory of Trieste, Big Science Business Forum – BSBF, Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology – IAPS.
The objective of the event was to inspire students about the value of science for society, with concrete examples of applications for sustainable development, giving them the opportunity to interact with scientists and engineers from research and industry. In this way, young people had the opportunity to approach fundamental issues for today’s and tomorrow’s society and environment, marking a milestone in their future path in the scientific field.
As recalled by FIT President Stefano Fantoni at the opening of the event, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the period 2024-2033 as the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development; scientific research is the engine of technological progress and plays a fundamental role in pursuing sustainability: a global challenge that requires an interdisciplinary approach and teamwork between the research world, the industry world, and institutions. Precisely in consideration of this, during the morning session, Barbora Bruant Gulejova, STEM ambassador (University of Bern, International Union of Pure and Applied Physics IUPAP, Science for Sustainable Future S4SF) illustrated to students the Youth@STEM4SF (Youth at STEM for Sustainable Future) competition. Born as a pilot project in Switzerland during the last International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainability, “our goal is to inspire students, especially girls, to pursue studies in STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) because there are many career opportunities, and by becoming scientists, they can contribute to addressing the global challenges of our society.”
The competition is related to the themes of the Big Science Business Forum and the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development, and the award ceremony will take place in October during the BSBF.
For further information, refer to the full press release from FIT (in Italian).
