On the occasion of her brief stay at Molo Ichnusa in Cagliari, the Amerigo Vespucci hosted a special event on Monday, 14 September, focusing on the present and future of research infrastructures in Sardinia, from the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) to Einstein Telescope (ET). The event, attended by 22 secondary school teachers from Cagliari and Nuoro, featured Marica Branchesi, professor at the Gran Sasso Science Institute and a member of the technical-scientific committee supporting the Italian candidacy to host ET, and Silvia Casu, researcher and head of public outreach and educational activities at the Cagliari Astronomical Observatory, as well as coordinator of SRT’s outreach activities.
The event was moderated by Alberto Masoni, research director at the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), and opened with remarks by the ship’s commanding officer, Captain Nicasio Falica, followed by representatives of the main research institutions supporting ET: Marco Pallavicini, member of the INFN Executive Board; Enzo Brocato, head of the “Mainstream Research & Scientific Networks” unit within the Scientific Directorate of the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF); Carlo Giunchi, coordinator of the Geophysical Characterisation Centre for Einstein Telescope (CCGET) at the National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV); and Francesco Mola, Rector of the University of Cagliari. The event concluded with remarks by Alessandra Todde, President of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia.
Last May, the Amerigo Vespucci, a symbol of Italian excellence around the world, had already hosted a round-table discussion in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, focusing on the research infrastructures operating in the Canary Islands and Sardinia. The Cagliari event further confirms the close collaboration between the Amerigo Vespucci and regional and national research institutions, particularly in connection with the Einstein Telescope project. It is also part of the many initiatives organised across Sardinia to support the Italian candidacy to host ET and engage the school community.