Rosanna Bonasia, professor in Civil Engineering and Sustainable Technologies at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, was elected president of the board of directors of the Association of Italian researchers in Mexico (ARIM). The appointment took place in recent days.
All board members
In this new experience, Rosanna Bonasia is supported by the vice president Andrea Mutolo, professor and researcher of contemporary history at the Autonomous University of Mexico City; by the general secretary Karen Matías, head of the Department of Learning Experience Design at the National Autonomous University of Mexico; by the treasurer Stephen Santasilia, professor of Philosophy of Religion and Philosophy of Culture at the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí; by the adviser Lorenzo Borselli, professor in Geotechnics and Geological Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí.
An Italian excellence in Mexico
Rosanna Bonasia, 46, happens to Simone Lucatello in the guide of the ARIM board. Italiana from Bitonto (Bari), holds a master's degree in Geological Sciences and a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Bari. This was followed by a post-doctorate on ash dispersion analysis and risk assessment of deposits of volcanic fall in the area of Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Mexican volcanoes with the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology of Naples and the UNAM Geosciences Center of Querétaro. Level 2 member of the National System of Mexican researchers, the professor was awarded the Cusco 2020 Edition Award for Educational Excellence. We asked her a few questions to find out more about the Association of Italian Researchers in Mexico.
Professor Bonasia, what is, in summary, ARIM?
«ARIM is a non-profit association, apolitical, non-partisan and independent of any national or foreign institution. It was born in 2017 on the sidelines of the second meeting of Italian researchers in Mexico, convened by the Scientific and Technological Cooperation Office of the Italian Embassy, and chaired by the then scientific attaché of the Embassy, Dr. Emilia Giorgetti. It currently has about 40 active members and maintains contacts with more than 140 Italian researchers, students and professionals residing in Mexico».
What projects does the newly elected board of directors want to pursue?
«One of the main activities that the new Governing Council wants to carry out is to strengthen the bilateral relations (research, teaching, mobility) between the institutions where ARIM researchers work (in all scientific, social and technological sectors) and the institutions of Italian research and teaching, providing the necessary support so that long-term bilateral agreements are strengthened or created from scratch in which ARIM researchers can participate personally and actively. For many Italians who currently live and carry out research and teaching in Mexico, contact with their country of origin has been interrupted for various reasons.
ARIM wants to regenerate these contacts by providing the basis for active formal collaborations with Italy, both in the academic field and in terms of services that scientific research can provide to Italian companies present in Mexico. ARIM wants to increase the visibility of Italian companies in Mexico, in the environmental, manufacturing and other sectors. It wants to encourage science dissemination projects in Mexico, not only at university level, but also at school level, with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute. Finally, it wants to strengthen the dialogue between Italian researchers and Conacyt (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología) and promote the effective collaboration of Italian researchers in the relaunch of projects sponsored by the Mexican government".
How were these years of research in Mexico?
«Doing research in Mexico was not easy for me. Surely the topic of scientific research, at an international level, is currently quite critical. The cuts in education and research funding are an issue that affects many countries, in addition to the problem of the precariousness of researchers which does not contribute to creating a stimulating and safe environment in which to work. I too, in Mexico, experienced these problems, until a few months ago, when I was offered a position as a professor in an institution, the Tecnológico de Monterrey, which is number 1 of the private institutions in the country and number 30 in the world» .
When did this magnificent proposal arrive?
«The proposal came at a time of great personal discomfort due to the precarious situation that I had been living for 12 years now, since I arrived in Mexico, and also due to the previous working environment in which I was not valued and in which, no matter how hard I made and however many results I obtained, I didn't have the opportunity to grow professionally and build strong research projects at an international level. The proposal from Tec (this is the name of the Monterrey technology in colloquial jargon), has been the most beautiful experience of recent years. This institution wanted me because it saw good potential in me, something that hadn't happened to me for years".
What is special about Mexico and what is your relationship with the other Italian researchers who work with you?
«What is special about Mexico, as far as I'm concerned, is that it has given me the opportunity to get up again every time I fell and let myself be carried away by the frustration that often afflicts the researcher. It is a country in which there is much to study and, with a little luck (an indispensable element), being able to find the right spaces, important projects can be carried out. In Mexico there are hundreds of Italian researchers scattered throughout the republic, working in all sectors.
ARIM has given me the possibility, since its foundation of which I have been an active member, to get to know personally especially the researchers who live in Mexico City, which is where I live and work. They are brilliant people who have innovative ideas and carry out a very important activity for the growth of this country in terms of culture and scientific innovation. With some of them I have established a friendship that leads us to meet from time to time over a pizza and a good wine».
What relationship do you researchers have with those who live and work in Italy?
«I think that, for the majority of Italian researchers in Mexico, relationships with researchers living in Italy are based on the contacts we have maintained on an individual level with the institutions in which we trained. Unfortunately, there is no solid formal relationship that will allow us to establish relationships with the Italian institutions on a concrete level. Or in any case, the right information is missing to allow us to enter into the mechanisms of collaboration with the Italian academic institutions. This is why ARIM wants to promote information mechanisms and strengthen relations between the two countries".
Is there scientific cooperation between the two countries?
«Yes, it exists, and the role of the scientific attaché of the Embassy is precisely that of making these mechanisms known and generating new ones. For several years we have had the good fortune to count on the work of Dr. Emilia Giorgetti, who has helped us to understand the levels of these collaborations. Now, while waiting for the new scientific attaché to be elected, with ARIM we are committed to carrying forward the work of communication between Italy and Mexico and to providing as many tools as possible for this cooperation to expand and become better known».
What projects are you working on?
«One of the initiatives carried out by ARIM, called “Seminari di Studi Italiani”, is very nice. Its goal is to enhance scientific research in the fields of social sciences and law linked to Italian culture and history, in all its many aspects. This is thanks to the active participation of students - undergraduate, master's or doctoral students - and of researchers and university professors specialized in Italy and its cultural, historical and political manifestations, and on the comparison with aspects of Italian culture, society and politics . Starting this year we would also like to carry out a project of scientific dissemination at school and community level, aimed at populations living in regions at high risk for the occurrence of natural phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and floods.
Mexico is a country where all these risks are concentrated and, as researchers, we also have a duty to carry out information and education activities to ensure that the populations are aware of the risks they run. However, our goal is also to adequately inform the institutions responsible for making decisions in the event of natural disasters. Information saves lives!'
What has been your personal contribution so far?
«I am one of the founding members of ARIM. Since its establishment as an assembly, I have been involved, together with my colleagues, in the drafting of the statute, in the creation of the network of researchers, up to the formal establishment as an Association. In the early years I collaborated in the creation of events such as the Enzo Levi International Seminar, dedicated to the most important Italian researcher on the subject of hydraulics in Mexico, and in the organization of seminars as part of the Science Week».
Thinking of returning to Italy?
«I was in Italy for a year, from September 2021 to September 2022 for a sabbatical year of research. I was extremely happy to go back to my country and to rediscover everyday life with my family and my best friends. During this period I tried to find the right connections to be able to return to Italy to work as a professor or researcher, but so far I haven't been lucky. For now I want to enjoy the new job opportunity I've been given in the Tec and I want to give my best to make this experience bear fruit. Maybe it will be a good springboard to allow me to approach Europe. I will continue to look for opportunities in Italy, and I hope that in the future they can open up for me as well».
(Photo: Rosanna Bonasia; ARIM Facebook page)
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