Stories of the future: the results of progettoDiventerò in 2023

On Thursday 22 June 2023, Fondazione Bracco presented  the results of “progettoDiventerò” (the ‘I will become 'project), a multidisciplinary programme launched in 2012 for the scientific training of the new generation. The annual ceremony, which this year was dedicated to "Future Stories,” was held in the innovative “STEP FuturAbility District.” The event itself consists of talks at which science experts, institutional representatives and, above all, young people and children share their thoughts.
Diventerò: Meeting the professions of tomorrow. The meeting included a conferment ceremony for the winners of scholarships for 2022 – 2023.

THE RESULTS

Since the start of the project we have granted scholarships to 2,887 schoolchildren, and this year has seen  a 50 percent increase in the number of recipients with respect to last year. Over the years, the programme has created 84 educational and training opportunities, consisting of academic guidance, scholarships and grants that were allocated to universities (38 percent), research entities (32 percent), schools (26 percent), and private businesses (4 percent).

This result was made possible by the invaluable work of  114 partners including universities, museums, research centres, medical companies, municipal governments, regional education offices, schools and academies.

This year the multidisciplinary programme is being conducted in tandem with a number of special initiatives revolving around  STEM subjects which have attracted a significant number of student participants. Particularly worthy of mention are: the initiative “Le 100 esperte STEM vanno a scuola” [Lessons from 100 women with STEM expertise] (January-April 2023), which involved around  22,000 students and 900 teachers; the interactive installation “Mind the STEM Gap – A Roblox Jukebox”  set up for the Triennale Milano (July – October 2022), which involved around  1,000 young gameplayers; the structural renovation of the ITS Biotechnology laboratories, which we have been supporting since 2016 to the benefit of 628 students.

STORIES OF THE FUTURE

The event began with Diana Bracco, Chair of Fondazione Bracco, speaking about the origins, objectives and vision of progettoDiventerò. In her address, Maria Pia Abbracchio, vice president of Università Statale di Milano and one of the 100 women with STEM expertise, stressed the value of education, which she described as an essential tool for building a community, for stimulating critical thinking, and for guaranteeing freedom of expression. Three panel discussions moderated by the champion athlete, Danielle Madame, heard valuable and engaging stories from young progettoDiventerò participants.

• The first panel discussion, Guidance toward STEM careers, heard from a teacher, Fabio Mosca, and two female students who won first prize in the   Ora di scienza! (Science time!) competition for their  video "Le piccole ricercatrici" [Science Girls] and  from Giulia Venuti, who studies medical mechatronics at ITS Biotecnologie Piemonte.
• The second panel discussion, Study, research and best practices, heard from Alessandra Pallotta and Leonardo Vagni of Istituto Tecnico Albe Steiner (the Albe Steiner Technical Institute) of Milan, two of the authors of the exhibition "Mind the STEM Gap – Together,” which draws its inspiration from the Fondazione Bracco manifesto of the same name. They were in conversation with Teresa Scorza, president of ZeroPerCento, a social startup, and winner of the “Welfare che impresa!” promoted by Fondazione Accenture and a network of partners. Last to speak was Martha Castelnovo, a student, winner of one of the scholarships for local schools and their students that Bracco Imaging awards in collaboration with the town councils of Cesano Maderno, Bovisio Masciago, Ceriano Laghetto, Cogliate, Solaro and Limbiate. Ms Castelnovo is now studying low carbon technologies and sustainable chemistry in Sweden.
• The third panel discussion, Beyond borders, new geographies,  dealt with the theme of international training courses, and heard from Federica Jin Zhou, winner of the United World College Scholarship, who was in conversation with Aber Hariri, winner of a grant for the project Diamo rifugio al talento [‘Let’s give refuge to talent’] in collaboration with Università degli Studi di Pavia.

The last to speak was Gaela Bernini, secretary general of Fondazione Bracco, who presented the results of progettoDiventerò and introduced a  recital by  two young harpists, Isabella Cambini and Laura Colombo of the Amadeus Academy of Music, whose training Fondazione Bracco has supported.