{"id":11647,"date":"2024-08-14T13:40:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-14T12:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cimafoundation.org\/news\/farewell-franco-master-founder-and-president-emeritus-of-cima-research-foundation\/"},"modified":"2024-08-20T10:13:58","modified_gmt":"2024-08-20T09:13:58","slug":"farewell-franco-master-founder-and-president-emeritus-of-cima-research-foundation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cimafoundation.org\/en\/news\/farewell-franco-master-founder-and-president-emeritus-of-cima-research-foundation\/","title":{"rendered":"Farewell Franco: master, founder, and President Emeritus of CIMA Research Foundation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the words he used to recognize the themes of death and risk, reflecting on the fragility of human existence and its “finiteness,” we announce with profound sadness the passing of our master: <\/p>\n\n

I am pain <\/em> <\/p>\n\n

The darkness of history, the darkness of the future, the awareness of finitude. <\/em> <\/p>\n\n

I was water <\/em> <\/p>\n\n

I was life <\/em> <\/p>\n\n

I was nature <\/em> <\/p>\n\n

I am separation <\/em> <\/p>\n\n

I am a barrier <\/em> <\/p>\n\n

I am two worlds <\/em> <\/p>\n\n

I am risk.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n

“A master is someone who transmits knowledge; a good master stands by your side and provides tools to enhance it day by day. This was Franco: a man of science, curious, ironic, visionary, who knew how to see in the dialogue between different disciplines, not only scientific, the turning point to always advance. And to his students, to those who worked with him (I was first one and then the other), he transmitted this mentality that never stops asking questions, allowing us to reach broader knowledge, more motivated reasoning. This lesson, the most important even if it is not found in books, remains forever because it becomes part of us, of our way of thinking, of working. Of living.” <\/p>\n\n

Thus, the president of CIMA Research Foundation Luca Ferraris remembers Franco Siccardi, who passed away today. A prominent figure in the Italian and international scientific community, President Emeritus, founder, and first president of CIMA Research Foundation, Franco Siccardi leaves an unfillable void in the scientific community and all those who had the privilege of being his students and working alongside him. Siccardi dedicated his life to the study and prediction of natural risks, with a passion and commitment that inspired generations of students, researchers, and Civil Protection professionals. <\/p>\n\n

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A life dedicated to science<\/h2>\n\n

Born with a vocation for science and research, Franco Siccardi embarked on a path that led him to become an authority in the field of hydrogeological risk prediction. His career was characterized by relentless commitment to developing innovative methodologies and technologies for the prevention and management of natural risks. <\/p>\n\n

He was a Full Professor of Hydraulic Structures at the University of Genoa, where he trained generations of engineers and scientists. His career also saw him leading the Industrial Consortium for the use of satellites for Earth Observation, demonstrating a constant commitment to applying the most advanced technologies to the study of our planet. For over twenty years, Siccardi served as the scientific director in the research of strategies for mitigating natural risks, contributing significantly to the construction of Civil Protection in Italy. <\/p>\n\n

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The vision of a Civil Protection System <\/h2>\n\n

“I have contributed, for more than twenty years, to the construction of the Italian National Civil Protection System, and I wrote here its history so that the young people who work in and for the System, in the Regions or at the Department in Rome, or in scientific service structures, know from which tradition they come.” This is how Professor Siccardi wrote in his book Ataviche paure. Catastrofi e pestilenze: il ruolo di Protezione Civile (Ancient Fears. Catastrophes and Plagues: The Role of Civil Protection), <\/em><\/a>published in January 2021. <\/p>\n\n

In this writing, Siccardi explores the historical and cultural roots of collective fears related to natural disasters and epidemics, analyzing how they have influenced society over the centuries. The text offers a detailed analysis of the role of Civil Protection, emphasizing the importance of preparation and prevention to effectively face crises. Through its pages, it conveys a message of resilience and hope, illustrating how science and collaboration, as well as citizen involvement, can mitigate the impact of disasters on our society. <\/p>\n\n

Why he fell in love with the Civil Protection System was a question often asked of him in interviews. The answer highlights his global vision but always rooted in the territory: “I was also the civil protection councilor in the small town where I live. I put a note in the various shops of the town with the message ‘Let’s form the municipal civil protection team, anyone who wants to sign up should do so’<\/em>: young people, women signed up. There is a municipal team that from one day to the next became 40 people, made up of men and women, not just old retirees who don’t know what to do. People who are carefully building knowledge of their territory and are very satisfied with this. Knowledge of the territory, knowledge of the families most exposed to risk is part, I believe, of the capacity for care that men and women have for the overall population.” <\/p>\n\n

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The dream of a foundation <\/h2>\n\n

In 2007, Franco Siccardi realized the dream of founding the current CIMA Research Foundation, a center of excellence dedicated to applied research and training in the field of natural risk prediction and management. Under his guidance, CIMA became the competence center of the Italian Civil Protection for hydro-meteorological risk (later also for wildfire risk and legal responsibility) and faced complex challenges, significantly contributing to the protection of communities and territories exposed to natural risks. <\/p>\n\n

The challenge was twofold: on one hand, creating a job perspective, with a capital “L”, for those young and talented researchers whom the university could not absorb or offer a perspective for their ambitions; on the other hand, contaminating study and scientific research with operativity, not only for the desire to put into practice what was modeled, but also because having tools without the organization and procedures to use them nullified all efforts. <\/p>\n\n

Thanks to his vision and tireless work, CIMA Research Foundation has become a reference point for the Early Warning and Early Action system worldwide.<\/p>\n\n

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A leader and a mentor <\/h2>\n\n

In addition to being a brilliant university professor and scientist, Siccardi was a charismatic leader and mentor to many young researchers. <\/p>\n\n

His ability to broaden horizons and view problems from different perspectives has always been part of his DNA, to the point that he was the first to understand that science is crippled without law and territorial public policies, but that politics cannot function without science and correct communication to citizens to make them aware of what measures can be taken to change their behaviors towards risks. It was indeed his intuition, among many, to start a dialogue between scientists, jurists, politicians, and civil protectors, which he called “Who evaluates, who decides, who judges.<\/em>” <\/p>\n\n

His ability to combine scientific rigor and humanity created a work environment where innovation and collaboration were at the heart of every project. His legacy continues to live on through the people he trained and the research he inspired. <\/p>\n\n

The passing of Franco Siccardi represents an immeasurable loss, but his spirit and commitment to science and safety will continue to guide those who knew him. CIMA Research Foundation will continue in the path traced by its founder, with the same dedication and enthusiasm that characterized his work. <\/p>\n\n

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The union between science and art <\/h2>\n\n

“The painter taught to represent on canvas the anxieties generated by the paroxysms of nature. The scientist taught to read in the forms the rules of catastrophe mechanisms.” The professor wrote in the catalog Arte e Scienza (Art and Science)<\/a> of CIMA Research Foundation. If Albert Einstein said that the greatest scientists are also artists, Franco Siccardi fully confirmed this description. He indeed had a fascinating and innovative vision of the interaction between art and science, a symbiosis he considered essential for a deeper understanding of the world. <\/p>\n\n

In the 1990s, together with painter Beppe Schiavetta, they launched an ambitious project to explore this connection. This partnership between the geophysicist who was “building with some friends the philosophy of Civil Protection in our country” and the artist who “was in a fertile period, creating informal landscapes of torn cardboard and violent colors” was revolutionary. They decided to “analyze how earth scientists and artists reacted together,” inviting young doctoral students in geophysical disciplines and young painters to a school in a sixteenth-century villa. The goal was to understand how “the mind processes the artistic image in relation to the mental image of physical phenomena, processes that seem to us to have deep analogies.” <\/p>\n\n

This initiative allowed Siccardi to “recover from the warehouses of the University for Foreigners of Perugia the works of artists from that first seminar” and adorn the walls of CIMA with these works. Siccardi firmly believed “that there is a way to communicate through images, and that communication with words needs to represent mental images to be usefully understood.” <\/p>\n\n

This vision led to a unique fusion of different disciplines, where “the brain’s plasticity in forming images of events and appropriate responses, but also in erasing the memory of negative facts and behaviors” was explored and celebrated. Siccardi envisioned a school that “does not sell products or consensus, but a philosophy of life,” teaching students “with humility what is known and what is being studied.” This legacy continues to live on, not only through the displayed works but also through the philosophy of life and research he instilled in all who had the privilege of learning from him. <\/p>\n\n

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With gratitude<\/h2>\n\n

The community of CIMA Research Foundation and all those who had the honor of knowing Franco Siccardi join in remembering an extraordinary person whose contribution to science and society will remain indelible. His vision, courage, and humanity will continue to inspire everyone. <\/p>\n\n

In this moment of sorrow, our thoughts go out to Maria Rosa, his children and grandchildren, his friends, and all those who loved and respected him. CIMA expresses its gratitude for all he has done, promising to honor his memory with continued commitment to research and the prevention of natural risks. <\/p>\n\n

(Professor Franco Siccardi’s lay funeral will be held on Friday 16 August at 4 p.m. in Savona’s mortuary at the Zinola cemetery)<\/p>\n\n

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