Monday, 5 June 2017

Roberto Battiston receives Legion of Honour at the Embassy of France in Rome

Professor Battiston was awarded this honour for his great contribution to experimental physics and to the strategic alliance between Italy and France in the space sector

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Roberto Battiston, full professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Trento and President of the Italian Space Agency, received the title of Chevalier dans l'ordre de la Légion d'Honneur last 31 May at Palazzo Farnese in Rome during an official ceremony.

The prestigious honour was awarded by the Ambassador of France to Italy, Catherine Colonna, in a ceremony attended by Rector Paolo Collini and friends and colleagues from the University of Trento and the Italian Space Agency, representatives of the Italian and French space industry, the academic world, and other institutions, among which the Presidents of CNR and INFN, Massimo Inguscio and Fernando Ferroni, and the director of the offices of the President of the Italian Republic, Simone Guerrini.

French authorities awarded the title in recognition of Battiston’s work in science and space, which helped establish a fruitful collaboration of mutual interest between the two countries.

The Ambassador, Catherine Colonna, underlined the importance of the work of Battiston as President of the Italian Space Agency in the framework of «the strategic alliance between Italy and France in the space sector, and his constant contribution to scientific research in the field of experimental physics of particle accelerators».

«This is a great honour for me, in recognition of the friendship, the collaboration and the common objectives that have marked the relationship between the French and Italian delegations within the European Space Agency over the past three years», said Professor Battiston. 

In his short thank you speech, Battiston also mentioned his personal ties to France, both cultural and scientific, ever since his specialization at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Rue D'Ulm, and his PhD at the University of Paris IX, Orsay. He also affirmed that the cultural and democratic values that the two countries share are the basis for the future of the European Union at a time in which Europe has been hit by the violence of terrorism.

The ceremony was the occasion to remember Nanni Bignami, astrophysicist and former president of the Italian Space Agency, who passed away a few days before.