On Wednesday 25 October, the Italian Residence in Canberra hosted the 29th edition of the Science Diplomatic Club, an event that brings together representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited to Canberra and institutions interested in the development of international scientific policies and collaborations.
The evening was dedicated to the major international infrastructures for astronomy, a field in which Italy has always played a primary role, and is a promoter of important projects such as the world’s largest radio telescope, the SKA, based in Australia and South Africa and the Einstein Telescope, for which Italy has put forward the candidature of the Sos Enattos site in Sardinia presented at the Australian National University last 6 June.
Professor Orsola de Marco from Verona, director of the Centre for Astronomy Astrophysics and Astrophotonics at Macquarie University in Sydney, illustrated to a highly qualified audience 60 years of astronomical discoveries made possible by these infrastructures and in particular by the European Southern Observatory, which hosts the world’s largest optical telescope in Chile. Italy is one of the 16 permanent members, while Australia’s membership will have to be negotiated in the coming years.
Ambassador Paolo Crudele, in his opening speech, expressed great satisfaction for ‘the consolidated bilateral cooperation between Italy and Australia in the scientific field, as witnessed by the network of Italian professionals and researchers working in Australia,’ many of whom were present at the event.
“It was rewarding to see the interest with which representatives of Australian government agencies and scientific institutions discussed with the diplomatic network above national interests, united by enthusiasm for advancing the fundamental knowledge of our universe,” commented Science Attaché Marco Lazzarino.
