From microbial ecology to photonics, research conducted by the SUPSI Institute of Microbiology (Microbial Ecology Sector) offers new insights into the interactions between microorganisms and the environment. This research includes the MicroPAS project and participation in the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Genesis, dedicated to the big questions about the origin of life.
In the fight against climate change, the world of plastics has long been under scrutiny. Two aspects are attracting attention and concern. On the one hand, the fossil origin of the materials (most plastics are derived from petroleum), and on the other, their end-of-life management. The problem, however, is not so much the amount of petroleum used to produce plastics (about 4-5% of the total extracted each year), but rather what to do with the plastics once their life cycle is over.
The Building a Character project has mapped the performing arts sector in Italian-speaking Switzerland for the first time, highlighting data, testimonials and critical issues related to income, spaces, professional networks and social recognition. The survey also offers food for thought on the future of cultural work as a whole.
The platform city is everywhere. Airbnb revolutionises the real estate market, the restaurant industry adapts to the models imposed by food delivery, Amazon builds new logistics districts, Uber joins public transport. The citizen becomes a source for data collection, with consequences that can undermine the persuasive concept of smart cities, according to which everything is in an open system of opportunities, just a click away.
Music production and consumption have always evolved hand in hand with technological development. Today, some technologies promise increasingly immersive and multi-sensory production and listening experiences. One of these is the musical metaverse, the focus of the MUSMET project.
In Ticino, as in other cantons, administrations do not yet have a support tool for defining decarbonisation strategies that comprehensively evaluate the implications of different initiatives. This lack can affect the effectiveness of the measures adopted and generate negative reactions, fuelling the perception of unfair politics on the part of citizens or categories affected by the transition towards sustainability.
La patata è la quarta coltura alimentare al mondo: a livello globale le coltivazioni si estendono su 16,5 milioni di ettari (circa 4 volte la Svizzera). Nel 2020 ne sono state prodotte 359 milioni di tonnellate.
The CircThread project collects data on household appliances and transforms it into useful information to increase their average lifespan.
The use of white, yellow and red lead-based pigments in wall paintings can be seen in various parts of the world and in different epochs. While their use was appreciated for their covering qualities, a tendency to darken often emerges that over time compromises the aesthetics and legibility of many wall paintings. Cimabue's Crucifixion in the Upper Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi is the best known example. But cases are not lacking in Ticino. Patrizia Moretti is a researcher at the Institute for Materials and Construction at SUPSI-DACD, where she is conducting a research project that aims to develop a method for the reconversion and stabilisation of altered lead-based pigments and thus recover the original colours of the works.
How can insect food be promoted among young people? We talked about it with Monica Mendini, lecturer-researcher at the SUPSI Centre for Management Skills and Entrepreneurship.
Il progetto EMERGE, finanziato dal Fondo nazionale svizzero per la ricerca scientifica, valuta l’efficacia dell’Educazione all’autogestione energetica (EME). Un percorso riabilitativo ergoterapico che supporta le persone colpite da Long Covid, aiutandole a individuare le strategie di gestione energetica più efficaci per affrontare le attività quotidiane.
ocial isolation and loneliness may not be more prevalent in old age than in other life stages, but in the third and fourth age the risks of serious consequences associated with these conditions may be greater. The hypothesis is that the risk of experiencing loneliness depends on a decrease in personal control over one's life. CCA SUPSI's commitment to combating social isolation and loneliness among the elderly.
Nel 2018 al Dipartimento formazione e apprendimento / Alta scuola pedagogica (DFA/ASP) è nato un laboratorio unico nel suo genere. In questo centro le competenze scientifiche del Professore in Storia della didattica si affiancano alla tradizionale missione di supporto all’insegnamento e alla ricerca della Biblioteca dipartimentale. Vede così la luce il Laboratorio ricerca storico-educativa, documentazione, conservazione e digitalizzazione (RDCD), dove collaboratrici e collaboratori con competenze complementari lavorano al servizio dell’intera SUPSI.
According to the Swiss Cancer League, 70% of cancer patients in Switzerland today are still alive five years after their cancer diagnosis. This is equivalent to a reduction in mortality of about one third compared to the 1980s. The increase in life expectancy thanks to medical advances is positive news, but it brings with it new social challenges. Among these, the increase in cancer patients and their life expectancy raises the question of their rehabilitation.
The application of AI algorithms in the world of health presents unique challenges and complexities that require careful consideration and the involvement of specialised research groups. Clinical data can be extremely variable and complex. Algorithms must be able to handle this diversity and adapt to a wide range of clinical scenarios.
The physician's experience, knowledge and needs must be integrated into these AI algorithms. The needs and perspectives of all actors involved in a medical research project, from physician to patient, from researcher to service producer, must be carefully considered.
The SPAS project is an emblematic example of such issues and needs.
Monitoring the state of Lugano's health to obtain information on temperature, humidity, air quality, brightness and noise, involving citizens in the collection of digital data and promoting their understanding. It is from this assumption that the project Technology Environment Skills (TAC) started, which from 2020 to 2021 involved a number of fourth and fifth grade pupils. TAC introduced innovative teaching on the topic of digital data to bring the youngest children closer to the use of digital technologies, and at the same time encouraged a sense of active citizenship, aimed at developing sustainable and environmentally friendly behaviour.
Rito di passaggio (Rite of Passage) is a play inspired by the homonymous novel by Alessio Pizzicannella staged on the occasion of World Autism Awareness Day 2023 in Lugano. Adapted and performed by some young people with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) and some female students of the Accademia Dimitri, the initiative is part of a broader research pathway conducted by the ARES (Autism Resources and Development) Foundation in collaboration with the Accademia Dimitri since 2018.
It makes no noise and is barely heard of yet. Yet in 2019 globally it claimed the lives of 4.9 million people and it is estimated that the number could rise to 10 million per year by 2050, making it the leading cause of death in the West, ahead of heart attacks and strokes. All the numbers are beginning to be in place for public attention to focus on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a.k.a. The Silent Pandemic, recently listed by the World Health Organization as one of the ten most dangerous threats to public health.
"XI" is a recycled plastic made from wood waste. Born out of a collaboration between Geomagworld and SUPSI, in the future it will be used in the production of the famous toys with a reduced environmental impact.
The common and widespread heritage along the many cultural, natural and landscape routes is hardly accessible to people with visual, hearing, motor and intellectual disabilities and not only from the point of view of orientation and mobility. PATI involves people with disabilities as supportive actors and expert guides in the process of co-construction of an accessible heritage.
In manufacturing, the teaching and practice of personnel often
requires the interaction with expensive, cumbersome, and potentially dangerous Machinery and Robots (M&R). V-Machina provides VR-based simulations for making such interaction easy and safe.
The project envisages research activities on the theme of corporate sustainability. Starting from the analysis of regional economic, social and environmental policies, the research proposes to create guidelines that will allow companies to implement good practices and sustainability relations in synergy with public administrations.
Lugaggia Innovation Community (LIC) is an experimental energy self-consumption community that connects the Lugaggia kindergarten with 18 neighbouring homes and 5 photovoltaic installations. The aim is to maximise the residential neighbourhood's energy independence for own consumption.
The project investigated the role of musical experience in enhancing the physical and mental wellbeing of older adults in nursing homes in Southern Switzerland.
A "virtual language" to predict the organoleptic properties of a food from its chemical composition or colour; intelligent software capable of reconstructing taste and perception thanks to multidisciplinary technologies such as artificial intelligence, data mining, bioinformatics, complex models at the molecular or cellular level.
