If you who are reading this, have donated a contribution for the electronic microscope bought by means of a popular collection on the blog, the first thing I have to say to you is another “thank you” for the trust you have placed in me. The second is that the microscope has found a home, a home that is accessible to every research worker, as is explained by Stefano Papa, the head of the Faculty of Science and Technology in Urbino and the third is that the results obtained will be constantly made known on the blog.
In September the blog will start a permanent campaign against incinerators and will get politicians and those who construct them to face up to their enormous responsibilities. You can die from incinerators.

Interview with professor Stefano Papa

Good day. I’ll present myself. I’m professor Stefano Papa, the head of Urbino’s Faculty of Science and Technology. About 8 months ago, our faculty took possession of the ESEM electronic microscope donated to us by the Associazione Bortolani. The ESEM was bought as a result of a collection, initiated by Beppe Grillo together with the Associazione Bortolani. It was donated to us to carry forward the research work relating to the reason why it was bought: work with nano-particles.
The microscope was transferred to the university in March and it was installed. In this time a further agreement has been drawn up with Arpam of Pesaro to provide access to the instrument and this is to be signed in the next few days. Arpam is a structure that is certified at a national level for research into asbestos and for diagnostics on asbestos and the intention is to develop research on other materials that can cause damage to health, as well as particulates. We found that we were collaborating well with them and they accepted to transfer this high value instrument (at a scientific and a diagnostic level) to their premises. This is due to happen by September. The choice of Arpam has been strategic because we too do research on asbestos and because both of us want to open this chapter on nano-particles and because there are other research projects on environmental pollutants that we wanted to take on. And this instrumentation is going to be of help in all that.
Thus we are extremely grateful to the Associazione Bortolani and to Beppe Grillo who has been the great promoter of this choice, as well as for the acquisition which is to come. We have chosen the station of Pesaro because there are certain advantages: because we have skilled personnel who are living in Pesaro. They are the ones who already know how to work with this instrument and who are already doing diagnostics on other scans in relation to asbestos and because Pesaro is really near to the train and it could simplify access for the two researchers who have worked on this instrument up until now. With the train that goes from Modena to Pesaro, access to the premises is quick and so it’s easy to continue a certain number of investigations. We want to make use of this structure because it presents other instrumentation that is specifically for environmental investigations, thus it’s possible to amplify the possibilities by carrying out multidisciplinary research, for example mass spectrometry. We will give all our energy so that in the future it’s possible to achieve important results and anyway, in accordance with the request from the Associazione Bortolani, we will continue to give updates on the activity in relation to diagnostics and investigations on the territory, as well as new scientific research. I hope I have given a satisfactory explanation, especially for all those (thousands of people) who have given a financial contribution, to make the purchase of this instrument possible.