The weather wasn't great this morning and changes were made to the programme to save time, but you could feel the enthusiasm of the students who gathered to celebrate an important achievement with their loved ones. The academic procession, caps and gowns and the live music of the Polyphonic Choral and the Orchestra of the University gave a solemn touch to the event, that started with the National Anthem of the Italian Republic.
The Deputy Rector Paola Iamiceli compared the graduation ceremony to the launch of the space mission to Jupiter: "You, a bit like Juice, are on the launch pad, heading towards that unexplored and fascinating space that we call the future. Like all unknown situations, this new journey can be scary, but you don't get to the countdown without being prepared. I know that each one of you has come to this ceremony after years of hard work, study and sacrifice. You have overcome difficulties; you have made mistakes and learned from them; you have found resources you did not know you had; you have understood that your classmates helped you along the way, with those you have met along your paths and your families. And now you are here - at this ceremony – to celebrate your future".
Unlike the journey of the space craft, where everything is calculated, "your journey is in your hands. We are not machines but humans, and humans can make mistakes and change. These two aspects of life make us who we are. Then, you will take different, sometimes unexpected, directions.
The Deputy Rector then encouraged the students to be ambitious: "Without curiosity there would be no progress. With your skills and knowledge, and a little imagination, you can contribute to building a better future. For you, your family and society."
Ambition is not arrogance. She added: "Don't get me wrong, this does not mean that you must seek success. If you can, try to be "gentle", to steer away from arrogance and from violence. The aggressive approach is not the only one possible. The jobs of the future, especially non routine and human intensive jobs, require skills such as communication, empathy, teamwork, the opposite of arrogance.
As the Juice space craft will remain in contact with the earth during the trip, Deputy Rector Iamiceli would like the young graduates from UniTrento to stay connected with each other and with the university and its core values.
The event, as usual, was organized by the University of Trento in collaboration with the Autonomous Province of Trento and the Municipality of Trento, because it celebrates the university and the city community.
Roberto Stanchina, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Trento, said a few words: "In this square, thanks to you, today there are both the past and the future, our roots and our potential, the possibilities to be explored in the coming decades. I don't mean to be flattering. But whenever I had the opportunity to speak with some students from our university, I found many qualities that filled me with optimism: education, enthusiasm, cultural liveliness and above all an important gift, that we need today: the ability to see farther. I mean your open-mindedness, your ability to move around the world as if it were your home, of speaking in different languages, of thinking outside the box. You understand better than we do the need to change and you know how to adapt more quickly to challenges we are facing, such as the climate catastrophe, war, inequalities. The world needs you, so if I can make a request on behalf of the city, it is this one: do not let yourself be normalized, do not adapt, try to change things and lead your way. Because your generation will play a crucial role, you can make a difference for the future of cities, of work, of social and environmental justice, of our life together."
The guest speaker at the ceremony was Simone Masè, general director of Lunelli Group, former student of the University of Trento with a degree in Economics in 1996. He took inspiration from the speech written by artificial intelligence based on some words he suggested to reflect on the potential and limitations of this technology: "Artificial intelligence can solve complex problems, improve our efficiency and discover new knowledge. Despite all this, however, we must not forget that artificial intelligence is not able to replace our creativity, our sensitivity, our ethics and our humanity. These are the qualities that make us unique and that allow us to do something different, to leave our mark, to be remembered."
He continued: "My advice is to use artificial intelligence with wisdom and responsibility, but also with curiosity and trying to have fun. We must be able to identify the limits of technology and provide a human added value, to meet the needs of customers and market niches through innovative solutions that create value. In a highly competitive society in which everyone struggles to grab a share of the market, it is not enough to follow the current or imitate others. We must have the courage to innovate, to experiment, to dare. We must be able to exploit the potential that technology can offer, but at the same time we must do our part to generate added value. A famous economic theory is based on product differentiation, to create new market areas and new demand, and that is precisely how technology works today."
"Dear young graduates, I therefore invite you to use your skills and knowledge to make a difference, I invite you to be innovative and creative, but also to be responsible," he concluded.
After a group photo with the best PhD graduates from the 2021/22 Academic Year on the stage, the choir performed Gaudeamus Igitur, the university anthem. At this point the Deputy Rector Iamiceli declared that the students have completed their studies and obtained their degree. Finally, on the notes of Handel's Hallelujah, the new graduates threw their hats in the air.
This is the 13th graduation ceremony at the University of Trento (the first edition was held in November 2015), and included two groups of students:
- the best PhD graduates of the academic year 2021/2022: Luca Benatti (Mathematics); Marco Bolignari (Materials, Mechatronics and Systems Engineering); Anna Casellato and Marco Francescon (Le forme del testo); Marco Giulini (Physics); Micaela Musacchio Strigone (International Studies); Lisa Novello (Cognitive and Brain Sciences); Valeria Paruzzo (Cultures of Europe. Environment, spaces, stories, arts, ideas); Ilaria Pietropoli (Sociology and Social Research); Andrea Piletta Massaro (Comparative and European Legal Studies); Simone Torresin (Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering);
- 470 students who obtained their bachelor's degree between September 2022 and April 2023 from the Food Agriculture Environment Center and in the departments of: Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology; Economics and Management; Physics; Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering; Information Engineering and Computer Science; Industrial Engineering; Humanities; Mathematics; Psychology and Cognitive Science; Sociology and Social Research; the Faculty of Law (CEILS - Comparative, European and International Legal Studies).
The academic procession was composed of representatives of the departments and centers of the University of Trento, the vice-rector and the deputy rector, Paola Iamiceli, in their gowns.
The Polyphonic Choir and Orchestra of UniTrento, directed by Marco Gozzi, made up by students, faculty and staff of the University of Trento.
A sign language interpreter was present during the event (provided by the Trento branch of the Italian Association of the Deaf-ENS).
More information on: www.unitn.it/cerimonia-laurea