Editoriale

Just two weeks ago, I arrived in Pisa, a city that seems to have been built around its university: students fill the streets, bicycles cross the squares, and buildings carry the memory of centuries of knowledge. I came here not only as a new chapter in my life, but as a place where I try to understand where I come from. I enrolled at the University of Pisa to pursue a Master’s degree in Peace Studies: Conflict Transformation and Development Cooperation. This program was granted to me through a full scholarship from the university, which opened its doors to me and stood by me from the very beginning. The University of Pisa, which has 20 campuses across the city, did not merely accept me as a student; it supported me and supported my story, and maintained continuous communication with the Italian consulate in a serious effort to facilitate my departure from Gaza.

The debate sparked by the announcement that, from 1 October, Rai Scuola will no longer be available as a linear channel on digital terrestrial television, moving instead to RaiPlay in an on-demand environment, offers a valuable opportunity to reflect on the educational responsibility of public service broadcasting. The history of Italian television—from Non è mai troppo tardi, launched in 1960 with Alberto Manzi—reminds us that education and mass communication form an effective combination for promoting literacy, supporting the idea that access to knowledge is a matter of collective interest and cultural democratisation.

To offer yet another commentary on Christopher Nolan's latest film as a work of art may seem almost futile: every possible observation appears already to have been made, debated and exhausted in the arena of contemporary communication. Yet, as a global cinematic event, Odyssey—shot in the IMAX 70mm format to maximise perceptual immersion and the somatosensory impact of its most spectacular sequences—has restored the cinema to a central position, as much as, if not more than, Oppenheimer (2023). At a time when the experience of watching films has increasingly shifted to other spaces and devices, it has restored a sense of wonder and significance to the theatrical experience.

The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) is the most important global congress of the mathematics community. Held every four years, it represents a crucial occasion for meeting, scientific exchange and international recognition, not least because some of the most prestigious prizes in mathematics, including the renowned Fields Medal, are awarded during the event. Our support for the petition “Move the 2026 ICM out of the US” stems first and foremost from concerns about the international and inclusive nature of the congress. In recent months, entry policies in the United States and the broader climate towards foreign nationals have created uncertainty regarding participation for scholars from several countries.

The University of Pisa is one of the world’s leading institutions for the study of antiquity, as confirmed by the QS Ranking by Subject, which places it third in Italy for Classics and Ancient History. This achievement reflects a clear vision: studying ancient civilisations is not about looking back at the past with nostalgia, but rather about acquiring the tools to interpret the present in a more informed and critical way. Classical studies at the University of Pisa are pursued within a rigorous and up-to-date academic pathway, culminating in the Master’s Degree Course in Philology and Ancient History, jointly developed by the Departments of Philology, Literature and Linguistics (FiLeLi) and of Civilisations and Forms of Knowledge (CFS).

In this podcast, Dan Banik speaks with Francesco Marcelloni, Professor of Data Mining and Machine Learning at the University of Pisa and Academic Director of the Knowledge Hub on AI at the Circle U. European University Alliance. They explore how AI actually works, why the debate around the technology has become so polarized, and what it means for decision-making in governments, hospitals, universities, and businesses.

Celebrato, discusso, criticato, talvolta anche deriso, il Giorno della Memoria costituisce una ricorrenza tanto importante quanto scomoda nel calendario civile nazionale e internazionale. Essa costituisce un invito a un’assunzione di responsabilità, sollecitando i singoli e costringendo istituzioni e comunità nazionali a confrontarsi col passato e a ripensare, anche alla luce di questo confronto, il proprio tempo. In effetti, la memoria lega in modo peculiare e indissolubile passato e presente, influendo così anche sul futuro.

In this podcast, Dan Banik, Academic Director of the Knowledge Hub on Democracy at Circle U., speaks with Nemanja Džuverović, Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Belgrade and fellow Chair of the Knowledge Hub, to explore one of the most significant civic mobilizations in contemporary Serbia.  The conversation begins with the collapse of the Novi Sad train station, which took place a year earlier and claimed sixteen lives: a tragic event that exposed a political system corroded by corruption, impunity, and the concentration of power. From this collective wound emerged a student movement that, within months, grew into a nationwide protest uniting academics, workers, professionals, and hundreds of thousands of citizens.

With the STARDust (Scienza Teatro Arte Ricerca Donne) project, the University of Pisa is giving shape to a new narrative of scientific research— how it unfolds, the knowledge it produces, and the impact it has on our lives. This creative challenge entrusts women in science with the task of guiding the stage narrative through their perspectives and voices, transforming them from protagonists of research into protagonists of theatrical storytelling: “ricercattrici” in every sense of the word. What unites them is creativity—the power to spark thought and emotion, to educate and transform—expressed through different forms to make knowledge more accessible.