L’Oreal-UNESCO Prize for Giada Perone

Awards Ceremony of the 22nd Italian Edition of the L’Oréal-UNESCO Prize for Women in Science 2024. Source: L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science

L’Oréal Italia today announced the six winners of the 22nd Italian edition of the Young Talents Italia Prize announced by L’Oréal Italia UNESCO for Women and Science. The competition was very tough: the jury selected the six most deserving researchers for their projects out of 260 applications, and among them was also the thirty-year-old researcher. Giada Perone From the National Institute of Astrophysics. During the ceremony held this afternoon in Milan, Minister of Universities and Research Anna Maria Bernini and Minister of Family, Maternity and Equal Opportunities Eugenia Maria Rossella also spoke, with a video message.

Since 2002, the “L’Oréal Italia per le Donne e la Scienza” program has supported every year six young scientists with scholarships worth twenty thousand euros to concretely promote scientific progress.Empowerment feminine.

“This award is an affirmation but also a responsibility that makes me happy and proud of what I have done so far, but it also pushes me to always do better,” said a satisfied Perón. Average inv. “I hope that my story will be an example for new generations to pursue their passions and talents, always and only driven by their determination.”

Giada Perone. Credits: Enav

Giada Perone, a research fellow at the INAF Arcetri Observatory, specializes in high-energy astrophysics and her research focuses in particular on gamma-band observations of galactic objects such as supernova remnants, molecular clouds and star clusters. She won the L’Oréal Prize for her project on the contribution of star clusters to galactic cosmic rays.

“If for a long time it was thought that the supernova remnant was sufficient to explain the observed amounts of cosmic rays, we have recently seen, from a biological and chemical point of view, that the supernova remnant is not sufficient and is a different second component. “So the origin is essential,” Perón explains. “Stellar clusters may be the key to explaining the anomalies we observe, but confirmations are needed from an experimental point of view. Specifically, my project aims to determine how much of the fraction of cosmic rays can be accelerated in clusters of young stars using measurements from the satellite (Fermi-Lat) and from Earth (with Astri-MiniArray and Ctao).”

“For years, thanks to the L’Oréal Foundation, we have been supporting women and enhancing their statusEmpowerment With different initiatives so that they can shape their future and make a difference within society.” Ninel Sopika, President and CEO of L’Oreal Italy. “I am very happy today to reward these six young and brilliant Italian researchers who, thanks to this honor, will be able not only to move forward with their ambitious projects, contributing to the scientific progress of our country but also to set an example for many future scientists, encouraging them to work in STEM fields, because we never thought before that the world needed science and that science needed women.” The other five award-winning researchers are neurobiologist Bernadette Basilico, ecologist Veronica Nava, physicists Federica Fabbri and Chiara Trovatello, and biomedical engineer Anna Curti.

As of this year, in agreement with the jury – composed of expert voices from the Italian Scientific Panorama and chaired by Lucia Votano from the National Institute of Nuclear Physics – the scholarships have become real prizes, to involve a greater number of researchers and to have greater alignment with other scholarships that candidates can win. With it. Forsa wants to give once again a strong signal: concrete support to young researchers who will be able to continue their research activity and study project in Italy.