Text and photos by Rossella Spiga – Inaf of Florence
With the award ceremony at the Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, the second edition of the Gianni Tofani Award for young researchers concludes today. The award goes to Valentina Vacca, a researcher at Inaf in Cagliari since 2018, with an innovative project titled “Defrost: Detecting Excess in Faraday Rotation through Sophisticated Analysis Techniques.” The project is based on the interpretation of measurements produced with the Square Kilometre Array and its precursors, aiming to shed light on how cosmological magnetic fields have formed and evolved. The project will take place at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching, near Munich. In addition to the stay abroad, a sum of 25,000 euros is also at stake.
“I am honored to have won this award, in memory of a personality of such high standing for Inaf and international astronomy,” comments the satisfied winner. “This is a unique opportunity for me to carry out a research project I have had in mind for a long time, and particularly important now in light of the new data gradually becoming available with the new generation of radio instruments.”
“The awarding of the Prize today, just over a year after the first edition’s ceremony, allows us to remember Gianni Tofani and his scientific and personal legacy once again,” says Sofia Randich, director of Inaf in Arcetri.
Gianni Tofani, an engineer who passed away prematurely in 2015, was a leading figure at the Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory and Inaf, with his fundamental contribution to the development of Italian radio astronomy. The award dedicated to him was established by Inaf in Arcetri with the aim of promoting the future research careers of brilliant young researchers in the field of astrophysical research and radio astronomy technologies. At stake is a stay at prestigious foreign research institutions, universities, or international organizations, aimed at enhancing one’s experience in the research world.