Ambassador Nicoletti inaugurates the 'Looking Beyond' exhibition in Bergen

(ANSA) - OSLO, 18 FEB - The "Looking Beyond" photo exhibition was inaugurated today at the University of Bergen (UiB) by the Italian Ambassador to Norway, Stefano Nicoletti, the Vice Rector of UiB Sigrunn Eliassen, and the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology Gunn Mangerud, in the presence of professors, researchers, and students from the university—Norway's third largest academic center—as well as members of the local Italian community. The exhibition, promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and produced in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and Telespazio/e Geos, was organized in Bergen by the Italian Embassy in Oslo and Dr. Andrea Magugliani, Honorary Vice Consul in Bergen, with the support of Vår Energi of the ENI group. Bergen is the third Norwegian stop for 'Looking Beyond', which has already been successfully hosted at the Science Museum (Vitenfabrikken) in Sandnes, near Stavanger, and at the Arctic University of Tromsø, where it was greatly appreciated by the public and teachers alike. The aim of the exhibition, consisting of 25 stunning high-resolution satellite images acquired by the COSMO-SkyMed constellation and sourced from the archives of Telespazio/e-Geos and ASI, is to stimulate reflection on the impact of human activities on the environment and the role of satellite technology in addressing global challenges such as deforestation, desertification, and pollution. But that's not all: divided into six thematic sections—agriculture, water, urban centers, climate change, natural disasters, and deforestation—Looking Beyond also aims to showcase the beauty of Earth as seen from space through spectacular images of glaciers, lava flows, megacities, cultivated fields, and waterways from different areas of the world. Italian Earth observation technology, in particular through the COSMO-SkyMed satellite constellation, plays a fundamental role in environmental monitoring and risk management. The satellites support early warning systems for landslides and floods, the coordination of relief efforts in the event of natural disasters, and the monitoring of crisis areas. In Norway, COSMO-SkyMed data is used thanks to a collaboration agreement between e-Geos and Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT). In his speech at the inauguration, Ambassador Nicoletti highlighted how "Italian Earth observation technology, developed by ASI and Telespazio, is now widely used in crucial sectors, and the COSMO-SkyMed constellation also supports monitoring activities in Norway, thanks to collaboration with local partners. We are very pleased to have been able to inaugurate a third stage of 'Looking Beyond' in Norway, which confirms the great attention and sensitivity of local institutions and the public towards issues such as scientific research and environmental protection." On the sidelines of the inauguration, Ambassador Nicoletti visited some of the university's leading research centers in the fields of aquaculture and marine biology and met with a group of Italian professors and researchers residing in Bergen. During the meeting, the Ambassador pointed out that "the more than 80 Italian scholars working in Bergen today represent one of the largest communities of researchers from our country in Norway, which now numbers almost 680 people. The social events we organize every year, such as Italian Research Day in the World or the Scienza Senza Confini (Science Without Borders) project by Comites in Oslo, are important opportunities for dialogue that aim to raise the level of interaction within the community of Italian researchers in Norway, who in turn represent an invaluable resource for promoting bilateral scientific and technological relations." Read article...

By ANSA