On February 13, 2012, ALMASat, the first small satellite entirely designed and built by the University of Bologna, was launched into orbit at its young branch in Forlì. Since March 2015, advanced aerodynamics has been studied, according to Forli researchers, in CICLoPE, a 60-meter wind tunnel built from the former Officine Caproni. In 2018 Curti srl tested on its helicopter, the exhalation, the first ballistic parachute designed for a helicopter. In the project, Forli researchers oversaw the creation of a remote control system. Grab your smartphone and find the city of Forlì in the heart of Romania on the popular interactive map app. Zooming in enough, in the southeast part of the city, near the airport, you can find the Aeronautical Engineering College, and moving a little higher, you finally reach a parallelepiped gray, of very dubious aesthetic value, which is commonly called “Workers” Technopool. It would be amazing to know that there, in that spot in our beloved Little Italy, is a center of excellence in aeronautical and space research, from collaborations with the European Space Agency, the European Space Agency, to to the development of autonomous flight systems and beyond.. But that’s not all. Thing: the College of Engineering of Forlì, the young satellite of the most sacred and revered Bolognese alma mater, produces young engineers and researchers of enviable scientific-technical value.
I make this assumption to present my very personal (and very questionable) opinion about young and small Italian universities, their teaching quality and some advantages and advantages, perhaps obvious, compared to more cohesive and giant universities and courses. It would be a proposal in the city, or perhaps an idea of a better level of training and post-graduate possibilities, but today, more than ever, the young people who have “matured” when faced with the choice of university, tend to focus yes about the most impressive, both in terms of history and number of members, which are based in the main Italian cities.
On the other hand, if one could only appreciate this tendency of boys and girls to open themselves to greater truths and to search “beyond”, it would sometimes be appropriate to reconsider some of the strategic advantages that a young university has, or even an autonomous region one, can offer requesting What can be created in studios of the most modest dimensions, in fact, is an incomparable sense of home, welcome and collaboration. Everything is measured and adapted to the student, from the teachers, who really only have a numerical relationship, and often have a more direct exchange with the students, to the students themselves, who practically know each other, and become real hosts. social communication In addition, the level of education is often not inferior to that of the “big brothers”, and also in terms of research, for those who are not afraid to choose this pleasant walk over burning coals, the possibility of having a paper, and some gratification. , within a Content environment, is more realistic in my opinion.
Finally, if it is true that in terms of “firepower”, understood as collaborations and economic potential, history faculties have an advantage, then among the youngest there is no lack of the ability to grow and weave the threads of the growing strength with companies and research institutions in the region. An example of excellence in this is the aforementioned Faculty of Aeronautical Engineering based in Forlì, which was recently visited by a group of journalists from the UGIS (Union of Italian Scientific Journalists). Founded in the 1990s, the university is now an excellent training and research center in continuous growth and development. Currently, research activities cover a wide range of aerospace research areas: from innovative technologies to artificial intelligence, from propulsion to experimental aerodynamics, from autonomous driving systems to space science and technology. At a time when distance learning, by reducing the costs associated with living away from home in large cities, has implicitly harmed some smaller universities, it has proved worthwhile to reassess universities/colleges and courses, in its real potential, maybe even lower. Famous and younger, but willing to give their best to their students and researchers