Appointments:
Deputy of OAE Italy (Office of Astronomy for Education IAU)
Deputy of Game Science Research Center
Coordinator of INAF national working group on tinkering game and creative learning
PM of National Grant “Astrophysics in STEM: learning through tinkering, coding and game
Editor EduINAF magazine
Education
2003 MSc Physics, University of Rome “La Sapienza” 2007
PhD Astronomy, University of Rome “La Sapienza”
Languages
Italian mother tongue, English C1
Science Experience I have an M.Sc. degree in Physics, a Ph.D. in Astronomy, and 14 years of experience working for ESA/NASA on satellite projects (Planck ESA/NASA), balloon-borne experiments (such as Boomerang and B2K), and more recently for ESO (ALMA band 2+, MAORY-ELT project Office) and ASI (LSPE-STRIP). I have been working both in Italy and abroad, in particular in the US, at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, managed by the University of California Berkeley. I have an exceptional record of publications in top-level peer-reviewed international journals (partially listed).
Project Management Experience I’ve been participating in several large-scale international projects such as the Planck ESA satellite. Working over the past 14 years with many complex and diverse science communities I gained a good knowledge of the standards and procedures of the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS). Being the project controller of MAORY, the first light instrument of ELT ESO, and currently the project controller of the development of the band 2+3 instrumentation for the ALMA Observatory, I developed a full command of best practices of Project Management and Configuration Management. Beyond my personal experience, I received formal training in Project Management (Introduction to Project Management Principles and Practices, University of California, Irvine April 2016 (online) and a short course by the Business School of Politecnico di Milano in December 2015).
Science Education Experience My work is grounded on the analyses of current international best practices and benefitted from my participation in international Masterclasses and interactive courses (JCOM Masterclass: Developing successful exhibitions Nov 2016; Tinkering fundamental: A constructionist approach Petrich, Anzivino, Wilkinson Tinkering Studio-Exploratorium with distinction Aug 2014; Exploring Light: Hands-on Activities and Strategies for Teachers Kossover, Doherty, Muller Exploratorium Dec 2016). I have 10 years of experience designing, developing, and operating tinkering workshops exploring constructionist practices and co-designing with teachers and practitioners. I’m general interested in the learning process and practices centered on children and young adults' ideas and creativity and the development of learning processes through non-transmissive practices. I’m also interested in how game-based learning experiences can ignite and sustain the learning process. I’m also participating in several education and dissemination projects as well as coordinator or curator such as European Researcher Night, Light in Astronomy, and European Code Week. I’m also the Director or Designer/Trainer of several teacher training programs certified by the Italian Ministry for Education. I’m coordinating the creative learning, game, and tinkering INAF working group and the relative sections for PLAY (https://play.inaf.it/), the INAF website for Innovation in Education. I also edit a column in the INAF magazine Eduinaf (https://edu.inaf.it/) again on innovation in Education and I have a column “PLAY to Learn | Learn to Play”
Awards and recognitions:
2018 Cosmology Prize Gruber Foundation
NASA Honor Award for supercomputing infrastructure
NASA Honor Award for data analysis
Italian Space Agency certificate of Appreciation
Communication:
Editor of the column Play to Learn | Learn to play [https://edu.inaf.it/category/rubriche/play-to-learn/] on Eduinaf Magazine
Curator of several sections on play [https://play.inaf.it/] platform (tinkering, hands-on, gioco)
Teacher Training (complete courses) and large edu project
“Officina degli errori: la luce” a co-design experience with teachers mixing constructionist practices with hands-on approaches in collaboration with IC 12 Bologna (ongoing) ID.62737 finanziato con 52000E da Azioni per il potenziamento delle competenze digitali degli studenti (Avviso 20769 del 2019)
Play with Chain Reaction during Pandemic [https://www.fablearn.it/play-with-chain-reaction-during-pandemic/], an online hands-on project for primary school (2020)
Designer of “Destinazione Luna” a series of activities for kindergarten to high school primary pupils with Cineteca di Bologna (booklet for educators available) (2019) Progettazione e messa in opera finanziata da Cineteca di Bologna
Director of “Officina degli Errori: il tinkering va a scuola” for primary school teachers in-service September/June 2018 Museo del Patrimonio Industriale Bologna (available on the platform of the ministry of education and including training credits)
Trainer and designer of the "Tinkering and educational robotics" course At: G.Lab Golinelli Foundation Bologna Fall 2020 (available on the platform of the ministry of education and including training credits)
Trainer and Designer of “Officina degli Errori ” November 2019 for primary and secondary school teachers CastelFranco Emilia (available on the platform of the ministry of education and including training credits)
Trainer and Designer of “Officina degli Errori ” November 2018 for primary school teachers Istituto Comprensivo 12 Bologna (available on the platform of the ministry of education and including training credits)
Trainer and Designer of “Officina degli Errori ” September 2017 for kindergarten teachers Istituto Comprensivo 12 Bologna (available on the platform of the ministry of education and including training credits)
