This scientific dissemination project focuses on models as tools for research, learning, communication, and inclusion, from the past to the present day. Models are also seen as metaphors for bridges that, in their various functions (for designing, reproducing, researching, or teaching), create connections between fields of knowledge, cultures, theories and reality, and teachers and students. Understanding models means understanding how science interprets and studies the world around us.
Discover all the activities: an exhibition, a series of seminars, and a theatrical performance.
All information to book entry to the events is available on the website and on Eventbrite: Models Project.
The exhibition "Models. Knowledge in 3 dimensions": 92 artifacts are on display at the recently inaugurated exhibition at the Poleni Museum (via Loredan 10), where visitors can see a 16th-century armillary sphere used to illustrate the three-dimensionality of the universe, 18th-century models of cranes and pile drivers, 19th-century models of dams and locks (including those of Padua's Bassanello), representations of mathematical curves made with chalk and strings from the same century, and mineral samples dating back to the early 20th century. The exhibition will be open from May 11, 2025, to May 3, 2026, and can be visited with free guided tours on Sunday afternoons from 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM until June 8, and then again starting from September. Exceptionally, until June 8, admission will be free. Reservations for guided tours can be made on the website https://www.dfa.unipd.it/terza-missione/modelli
Special attention has been paid to inclusivity, and various aids will be available starting from autumn: videos in Italian Sign Language, audio descriptions for blind and visually impaired people, portable captions in AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication), relief drawings and Braille cards created in collaboration with UICI (Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired), sensory bags with tactile materials and AAC materials for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders, tactile workshops with 3D models and relief drawings. The exhibition content will also be made available digitally through the Virtual Itineraries portal and Phaidra. The panels and captions of the exhibition are already available via QR code (on-site) in English, with other languages to be added in the coming months.
The seminar series "From model to application" promoted by the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Padua, presents itself as a fascinating journey through time and ideas, crossing crucial junctions for scientific, technological, and social evolution. Upcoming events scheduled: From astrolabe to stars: the science of exploration (June 27, 3:30 PM, Room M1 - DII, Via Venezia, 1), From astrolabe to rockets and satellites: the technology of space adventure (July 11, 3:30 PM, Room M1 - DII, Via Venezia, 1), A Matter of Head: experimental and numerical methods in the design of personal protective equipment for road safety (September 24, 4:30 PM, Room M1 - DII, Via Venezia, 1), From idea to enterprise. Innovation, technology transfer and academic entrepreneurship (October, date to be defined), and Digitalization of reality and medicine of the future: virtual models and predictions (November 20, 4:00 PM, Sala del Romanino - Eremitani Museum, Piazza Eremitani, 8).
The theatrical performance Caravanserraglio originates from one of the working groups composed of doctoral students and members of the local community from different geographical and cultural backgrounds within the Third Mission 2022 project "Science from the Islamic world to Europe today", of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. At the center of the show is the Astrolabe, a model of the Ptolemaic universe and a symbol of exchange between cultures through time. Each performance will be opened by the prelude "Models of sound: the 'new' musician", curated by Sergio Canazza (DEI), a reflection on the evolution of the figure of the musician in the era of artificial intelligence. Staged by TAM teatromusica, the show will be presented in various places in the city of Padua, especially where plurality lives and grows: neighborhoods where different cultures, ethnicities, and religions meet every day. The premiere of the show will be held at the Teatro San Carlo, in Arcella, on October 17 at 9:00 PM.
The project, funded by the University of Padua's call that incentivizes projects for the development of Third Mission and Open Science activities, is proposed by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, in collaboration with the Department of Industrial Engineering, the Department of Information Engineering, and the University Center for Museums, with the support of numerous external partners.
All information to book entry to the events is available on the website and on Eventbrite: Models Project.
