​Darmstadt – Galileo Galilei Science&Space Festival

The second edition of the Galileo Galilei Science&Space Festival has taken place in Darmstadt, in the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) of the European Space Agency (ESA). The Festival is dedicated to science communication and to showcasing the extraordinary network of Italian researchers in Italy and abroad. The three days of events featured Italian scientists and researchers working in universities and research centres in the area.

The Festival programme fits perfectly into the celebrations for the 800th anniversary of the University of Padua, where Galileo Galilei, the father of the scientific method, was awarded the first chair of physics and mathematics and taught for 18 years. Speakers included Guido Tonelli, physicist at CERN in Geneva; Francesca Cipollini, Earth Observation Programme - ESA; Telmo Pievani, University of Padua; Livio Mastroddi, Departmental Director at EUMETSAT; and Alberica Toia, Professor at the J. W. Goethe University in Frankfurt.

The initiatives included a guided tour of ESOC for the students of Frankfurt's bilingual schools. The goal was to introduce the younger generations to the physics of primordial matter and the world of space missions, and to kindle their interest in the study of science subjects.