By Ron Spence, ICI NY Press Office
2011 was a big year for Italy as the country celebrated its 150th anniversary of Unification. In the United States, citing the historical bond between the U.S. and Italy, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation marking March 17th as a day of celebration and study of Italian Unification in America. Celebrations of Italian Unification were held across the United States including the Italian Cultural Institute of New York (ICI NY), which played a leading role in commemorating the genius and influence of the Italian nation since before and after unification through music, art, and science exhibitions and symposiums on politics and history.
To cap off the year of Unification celebration, the ICI NY coordinated a program expanding upon and celebrating the scientific developments of Italians within multiple facets of science and life, and how these advances will continue to develop world society. This program, “150 Years of Italian Genius: On the Frontiers of Creativity & Science,” kicked off on December 6th at the Consulate General of Italy in New York, and featured renown international experts and speakers on Italian scientific discoveries which shaped and enhanced the American Industrial Revolution. Names which I remember hearing in Mr. Sterling’s science class at Mark Twain Junior High School in Coney Island (Fermi, Marconi, and more) were vividly brought to life and their discoveries expanded upon. On December 16th the Institute opened to the public an interactive thematic exhibition on the topics discussed. Initially the exhibit was to run through January 27, 2012 but due to popular demand the exhibition has been extended through February 3, 2012.
The exhibition is a treasure trove of science and history and caters to all levels of awareness in the field of science. First time visitors who are curious will be able to navigate the interdependencies between Italian science discoveries and the world via interactive smart-pads. Historians and scientists will be able to see in person physical prototypes of those inventions which changed our world including early computers, radios, and examples of transportation technologies. Public health experts will be able to trace the development of vaccinations via the discoveries made within the University of Turin that are on display. The exhibit is also a great venue for school teachers and classes of all ages and private tours can be held upon request.
True to the Italian vision of creativity the exhibit itself is designed to engage the visitor through multiple levels of interaction within five major areas of discovery-
1. “Experience the New”
· This thematic room contains Italian discoveries of the ‘nuts & bolts’ developed to produce light bulbs, typewriters, rubber tires for automobiles, and Moplen plastics that are used for receptacles and other day-to-day activities. Sections within this area explore the discoveries and improvements of Primo Levi, Antonio Meucci & the telephone, Alessandro Crutto & the light bulb, Giovanni Battista Pirelli & pneumatic tires and electric wires and more.
2. “Traveling & Learning”
· Today many New Yorkers ride Vespas to work, but how many know that the Vespa was an Italian invention? The impacts of Italian science on the development of the automobile are innumerable and featured within this area. Dante Giacosa, Fiat and the development of the utility car, Corradino D’Ascanio & the Vespa, Enrico Forlanini & the dirigible, and Giuseppe Gabrielli & the airplane are a select group of inventors and inventions included within this section.
3. “New Frontiers”
· Ever hold a conference call or make a dinner reservation via cell phone? Like the oceans during the Age of Exploration, space and the infinitesimal are now considered to be humanity’s final frontier. The development of communication through space and the analyses and discovery of the smallest particles are some of the areas explored upon in this section. Guglielmo Marconi & the wireless telegraph, Enrico Fermi & the nuclear reactor, and Giuseppe Colombo, Franco Malerba & the development of the tethered satellite systems and more are given their due in this fascinating learning station on what Italian breakthroughs in new frontiers mean for humanity and the future of the unknown.
4. “More Efficient & Pleasant Working Conditions”
· The laptop computer I’m using to type this blog has its origins in the creation of the first computer by Piergiorgio Perotto, whose computing contributions are on display at the Institute (and also featured at the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park in the United Kingdom). Other works within this area, such as those of Federico Faggin & the microprocessor (which forms the core functionality of personal computers) and others are on display.
5. “To Heal is to Live”
· Discoveries and major developments in neurology, bacteriology, microbiology and more are featured within this section. Battista Grassi and Ida Bianco and their work in the field of malaria, Giulio Bizzozero and his work on the understanding of modern anatomy, Salvador Luria and his work in bacteriology, and Giacomo Rizzolatti and his developments within the field of mirror neurons among additional scientists and their work are assembled together here.
With only three weeks remaining, grab a macchiato, hop on your Vespa and take a ride through our past, present, and future of science at the Italian Cultural Institute of New York!
Ciao!
Ron
P.S. - For a sneak peak of the exhibition please visit the home page of the ICI NY-
For private tours please contact:
Eva Zanardi, Director of Communications
Italian Cultural Institute of New York
686 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10065
Tel. 212-879-4242 x333
Fax 212-861-4018
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