NEWSLETTER 125 | JANUARY 2025
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
INTERVIEW
NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND MEDICINE: THE CHALLENGE OF SPES AT LEGNARO NATIONAL LABORATORIES
Interview with Faïçal Azaïez, Director of INFN Legnaro National Laboratories
Particle accelerators, radiation detectors, technology transfer activities: the complex machine of INFN Legnaro National Laboratories addresses challenges in various fields ranging from nuclear physics and astrophysics to interdisciplinary research, and is entrusted, as of 2023, to Faïçal Azaïez. Former Director of the Institute for Nuclear Physics of Orsay in France and the iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Science in South Africa, Azaïez has very clear goals for Legnaro's direction: to make these national Laboratories a world reference for science and technology. We met with him to hear about the present, but more importantly, the future of this center for low-energy nuclear physics.You have been appointed Director of Legnaro National Laboratories (LNL) in 2023. How was your first year as Director? Did it meet your expectations?
It has gone far beyond that! I have never found such a positive and collaborative work environment as the one I found at INFN and LNL. Then, from the perspective of my assignment and the work to be done, I had a pretty clear idea of what to expect. You have to imagine nuclear physics as a family, where all the members know each other.
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THE ELECTRON-ION COLLIDER ALSO SPEAKS ITALIAN
While in the last century we have acquired fundamental notions about the atom and the force that explains the interactions between the atomic nucleus and the electrons orbiting around it (the electromagnetic force), we still miss the details of what happens inside the nucleus. This microcosm is dominated by a force, the strong interaction, that binds the protons and neutrons of which it is composed, and the quarks, the elementary particles that make them up. With the aim of better understanding it, the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York will equip itself with a new machine: ...
TAKE PART IN
IN FEBRUARY THE STEM AND FERMI DAYS
On the National Week of the STEM disciplines (4-11 February) established by the MUR Ministry of University and Research to promote initiatives to raise awareness and stimulate interest, choice and learning of these disciplines, necessary to promote innovation and development of the sector in our country, and on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, scheduled for February 11, INFN is participating with a rich calendar of events and initiatives throughout Italy. Established in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly, this day is dedicated to promoting the equal participation of women and girls in the world of science, highlighting the importance of equitable access to education, training, employment, and decision-making processes. This is a concrete commitment to inspiring and supporting new generations of female scientists, reaffirming the crucial role of women in research and innovation.
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Cover image: SPES ©INFN
