May 16, 2018
Edison and Alessandro Volta Foundation, in partnership with the European Physical Society, awarded the excellence of physics.
The EPS - Edison - Volta European Physics Award, now in its fifth edition, has celebrated the winners of this year at Teatro Sociale - Como.
European Award for Physics
The EPS - Edison - Volta Award collects the legacy of the Francesco Somaini Award for Physics, an Italian politician and entrepreneur to whom we owe the collection of memorabilia and writings of Alessandro Volta.
In 2012 Edison, along with the Alessandro Volta Foundation of Como and the European Physical Society, decided to give the honor an international dimension in order to take over its cultural and scientific heritage.
The award winners around the world:
4 in France, 3 in Italy, 2 in Germany, 1 in UK, 1 in US, 1 in Indonesia
THE WINNERS
2018
4 researchers have received the fifth edition award. Their work has allowed to develop innovative experimental technologies and solutions for observing a gravitational wave signal, generated by a binary system of black holes occurred at a distance of 1.3 billion light years.
Alain Brillet
Director of CNRS, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Orsay (Paris)
Karsten Danzmann
Director of Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Hannover
Adalberto Giazotto
National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Pisa
Jim Hough
Associate Director of Institute for Gravitational Research, University of Glasgow
2016
The professor of Molecular Physics at University of Leiden (Netherlands) received the fourth edition award for his pioneering research in the molecular spectroscopy field, allowing him to observe a single molecule for the first time.
Michel Orrit
Professor of Molecular Physics at University of Leiden
2015
The third special edition, organized concurrently with EXPO Milano 2015, awarded the three scientific leaders of ESA's Planck mission that, by studying the cosmic background radiation, allowed to obtain a precise and detailed map of the newborn universe and to observe the first emitted light.
Nazzareno Mandolesi
Member of the ESA Scientific Council and ASI Consultant in the ASI - INAF Joint Committee
Jean – Loup Puget
Member of the French Academy of Sciences and Principal Investigator of the Planck mission
Jan Tauber
Member of the European Space Agency and Project Scientist of the Planck mission
2014
In the second edition the professor at Pierre-et-Marie Curie University of Paris received the award for his contribution to quantum physics studies and experiments at the base of established technologies, as well as for his radically innovative ideas, such as quantum computers.
Jean – Michel Raimond
Professor at Pierre-et-Marie Curie University of Paris and honorary member of Institute Universitaire de France
2012
The 3 CERN directors received the award in the first edition for their advances in high energy physics culminated in identifying the Higgs boson, the particle from which the mass arises, or the main element of matter.
Sergio Bertolucci
Research and Computer Processing Director at CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research
Rolf Dieter Heuer
General Director of CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research
Stephen Myers
Accelerators and Technologies Director of CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research
Edison Scholarship
The contest, organized in memory of Francesco Somaini, aims to reward and encourage physics studies in Italy.
The grant is intended for a young researcher to complete an internship at a foreign university and conduct research in physics, with particular regard to energy issues.
Italian citizens and Swiss citizens from Canton of Ticino can take part in the contest.
2018
Guido Menichetti
Post – Doc al Grephene Labs dell’IIT, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
Grazie al riconoscimento il vincitore approfondirà i suoi studi sulle proprietà dei materiali 2D, candidati allo sviluppo di nuovi dispositivi per l’immagazzinamento di energia.
2016
Gennaro Sepede
Dipartimento di Energie Rinnovabili dell’Università di Cartagena
La borsa ha permesso al vincitore di approfondire i suoi studi sulla trasmissione del calore e la fluido dinamica nel campo della geotermia e sviluppare specifici codici di calcolo presso il Dipartimento di Fisica Applicata dell’Università di Cartagena.
2015
Giulia Grancini
Dipartimento di Fisica dell’Università dello Utah a Salt Lake City
Grazie alla Borsa di Studio Edison, la dottoressa ha approfondito il suo lavoro di analisi sui nuovi materiali per la produzione di energia elettrica fotovoltaica presso il Centro di Sion dell’École Polytechnique Fédérale de Losanna.
2014
Angelo Maria Monguzzi
Dipartimento di Scienze dei Materiali dell’Università Milano Bicocca
Il riconoscimento ha premiato i risultati conseguiti nel campo della fisica applicata ai temi dell’energia. Grazie alla Borsa di Studio Edison, il ricercatore ha compiuto un tirocinio all’ETH di Zurigo per continuare lo studio delle proprietà ottiche e di nanocristalli semiconduttori per dispositivi di terza generazione.
2012
Federico Iori
Dipartimento di Scienze e Metodi per l’Ingegneria dell’Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia
La Borsa di Studio Edison ha supportato il tirocinio presso l’Università Autonoma di Barcellona per approfondire lo studio delle proprietà termiche e di trasporto di innovativi materiali termoelettrici.
James Hough, winner of the Physics European Prize EPS-Edison-Volta 2018
The physicist and winner of the EPS-Edison-Volta award tells us about the research he did with his team and how it can disrupt the astrophysics sector.
Guido Menichetti, researcher and winner of the Edison Scholarship
The young researcher Guido Menichetti tells us how, thanks to the Edison Scholarship, he could complete an internship in a foreign university to carry out a study on 2D materials properties, like graphene, in order to develop new devices for energy storage.
Project stats
5
Editions
12
Award-winning scientists
5
Awarded scholarships
Project partners
Alessandro Volta Foundation
The Foundation was created to promote university, higher education and culture and is dedicated to the famous Italian physicist, known to history for his studies on electrical phenomena, on the origin of methane gas and for inventing the battery.
It was precisely this latest contribution that earned Alessandro Volta the appointment by Napoleon Bonaparte, among the various honours, as Knight of the Legion of Honor.
European Physical Society
It was established in 1968 in order to promote physics and physicists in Europe. It includes national physical societies from 42 countries, around 2,500 individual members and several European research institutes.
One of its main activities is organizing international conferences.
