Gender Violence
On the 17th of November at 6.30 pm the College will host a seminar in the College Lecture Theatre entitled Preventing and contrasting gender-based violence. A conversation with the staff of Anti-violence Centre LiberaMente. The seminar is the second of a series of four meetings devoted to women's iissue and has been organised by Dunia Lisa Seck (African and Asian Studies) and Marianna Parise (Visual and Performing Arts) both at Collegio Golgi and it. The poster of the seminar ias available here.
Gender-based violence is pervasive and shows little or no evidence of abating. It includes simple threats, coercion, bodily harm and in a number of instances can lead to iviolent death. Although the occurrence and extent of gender-based violence varies signifcantly across different cultures and religions, it is clear that no society or social class is immune from this problem. Gender-based violence is unquestionably one of the commonest - if not the commonest - violation of human rights across the world.
College is grateful to Dunia and Marianna for sharing this seminar with the students of Collegio Volta an for bringing into focus the work of the local staff and volunteers of LiberaMente, a not-for profit agency commited to fight gender-based violence that has been active in Pavia for over 25 years.
All College students are warmly invited to atttend the seminar.
Image: Courtesy of Building and Wood Workers' International.
College Security
A serious incident has occurred at the EDiSU residential hall 'Paolo Borsellino' of the University of Turin during the night in which a female student has been attacked by a stranger who entered the residence. The student is currently in hospital and, based on a statement by Stefano Lo Russo, mayor of the city of Turin, the attacker is still on the loose.
The incident highlights the essential need for students' security, a problem particularly acute at Collegio A Volta a building fundamentally insecure and thus extremely vulnerable to intrusions and potential attacks by outsiders.
The College demands the full cooperation of its students to prevent strangers from entering the building through doors left open on the ground floor and will take any further and necessary measure in oder to enforce security and protect College students from falling victims of acts of violence by strangers.
Image: the Hall of Residence Paolo Borsellino at the University of Turin.
Library Support
Library support in College will start on Monday the 24ht of October and will be provided by College students Nicola Loizzo, Francesca Veneziani and Ines Shop who provide the service . Members of Volta are able to borrow books from the library by contacting the library service at this email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and should return the book undamaged within the date specified at the start of the loan.
Any problem with access to the library service should be reported to the College director. The College thanks Nicola Loizzo, Francesca Veneziani and Ines Shopi for their work in support of the College library.
Image: the JTM Needham College library (photograph by former Volta undergraduate S Tondi).
Cancer Vaccines
On Tuesday the 18th October 2022 at 5.00 pm, Pier-Luigi Lollini of the Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastasis at the University of Bologna will give a seminar entitled Vaccines for the prevention and therapy of mammary carcinomas. The development of preventive and therapeutic vaccines is a major area of cancer research.
The seminar will offer an insight into the field and will present recent research on vaccines for breast cancer. All College students are invited to attend, especially students reading Medicine, Biology and Biotechnology. The poster of the seminar is available here. The abstract of the seminar and a biographical sketch of the seminar speaker are available at this page.
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A three dimensional culture of mammary cancer cells. Courtesy of Kelvin Yip, Monash University.
Vaccines for the prevention and therapy of mammary carcinomas
18 October 2022. Pier-Luigi Lollini, Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastasis, University of Bologna, Italy
Vaccines for the prevention and therapy of mammary carcinomas.
On Tuesday the 18th October 2022 at 5.00 pm, Pier-Luigi Lollini of the Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastasis at the University of Bologna will give a seminar entitled Vaccines for the prevention and therapy of mammary carcinomas. The poster of the seminar is available here.
All College students are invited to attend, especially students reading Medicine, Biological Sciences and Biotechnology
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Abstract
The immune system effectively prevents tumor onset, and immunodeficiencies predispose to cancer. Unfortunately, a functional immune system is not 100% efficient in preventing either infections or tumors. However, the correlation between immune suppression and excessive cancer risk suggests that immune stimulation could prevent tumor onset, or at least reduce the risk. In humans, cancer immunoprevention is already operative at the population level, in the form of vaccines against oncogenic viruses. The hepatitis B vaccine reduces by two-thirds the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, and papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines prevent the development of cervical carcinoma. Widespread adoption of the HPV vaccine could lead, for the first time in human history, to the disappearance of a deadly cancer, just as vaccination eradicated smallpox in the past. Is immunoprevention also applicable to the vast majority (>80%) of human tumors, not related to oncogenic viruses? Preclinical studies performed in my Laboratory, and in many others throughout the world, demonstrated that immunological stimuli do indeed prevent tumor onset. Studies in HER-2 transgenic mice, which are prone to mammary carcinogenesis, showed that vaccination of young, healthy mice with cells or DNA encoding HER-2, coupled with potent biological adjuvants, could completely prevent tumor onset later in life. Immunity from mammary carcinoma was regulated by T cell cytokines and effected by anti-HER-2 antibodies. The fact that HER-2 is an oncoantigen, i.e. an antigenic molecule causally involved in carcinogenesis, was a key element in determining long-term immunoprevention. Clinical development of cancer immunoprevention depends on the discovery of suitable oncoantigens in high-risk individuals, such as HER-2 itself, which is frequently amplified in breast cancers of Li-Fraumeni carriers. MUC-1, a cell surface mucin aberrantly expressed in colorectal carcinoma, is the target of early clinical studies that are paving the way to human cancer immunoprevention.
Biography
Personal data Lollini, Pier-Luigi Born in Bologna, Italy, July 3rd, 1956. Citizenship: Italian.
Address Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastasis Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine Viale Filopanti 22, 40126 Bologna, Italy Phone +39051-209-4786 - Fax: +39051-242-169 E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Web: www.lollini.it
Present position Professor of General Pathology, University of Bologna, Italy.
Education and Training 1980 - MSc in Biology, University of Bologna, Italy., 1987 - Ph.D. in Oncology (experimental), University of Bologna, Italy.
Positions 1980-88 - Postdoctoral fellow, Istituto of Cancer Research (University of Bologna, Italy). Fellowships from Italian Ministry for Education, "Anna Villa Rusconi" Foundation, Istituto Oncologico Romagnolo, Italy.
1988-92 - Research Assistant, Biotechnology Satellite Unit of Bologna, National Cancer Institute, Genova, Italy.
1992-2001 - Associate Professor of Oncology, University of Bologna, Italy.
2001-present - Full Professor of General Pathology, University of Bologna, Italy
Appointments 1998-2000 - Director, Institute of Cancer Research, University of Bologna, Italy.
1998-2003 - Member of the Grants Committee for Medical Sciences, University of Bologna. 1999-2004 - Deputy-Director, Interdepartmental Center for Cancer Research, University of Bologna, Italy.
2001-2003 and 2006-2015 - Member of the Technical-Scientific Committee, Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC), the major Italian charity for cancer research. 2001-2005 - Board of Directors, Italian Society of Cancerology.
2004-2007 - Director, Interdepartmental Center for Cancer Research, University of Bologna, Italy.
2009-2020 – Member of the Emilia Romagna Regional Committee, Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC).
2014-2020 - Director, Ph.D. Program in Oncology, Hematology and Pathology, University of Bologna.
2016-2019 - Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC).
2016-present – Member of the European Academy of Tumor Immunology (EATI).
College Landscaping
College is pleased to announce funding for the implementation of a major landscaping project.
Volta is fortunate to have sizeable grounds but these need investment and development in order to provide valuable use and enjoyment to students and visitors. The landscaping project will be implemented in 4 stages outlined schematically in this brief document. The whole project will be completed in 2-3 years depending on the timining of future funds for stages 2-4. Stage 1 - involving primarily the two central courts - will be implemented this autumn.
College Gutters
College is pleased to report funding for the installation of anti bird spikes in the gutters. This will prevent birds from building nests in the gutters with consequent water stagnation that has caused major damage to student's rooms on the top floor and additional damage to the external walls.
This project has a long history. It has been advocated and detailed in successive yearly reports and development plans and its implementation is testimony to College resilience and planning.
VSU Committee
The new Volta Students Union (VSU) Committee (Comitato Alunni in EDiSU vocabulary) has been elected on Tuesday the 11th of October.
Nominations were received by the College Director by Friday 7th. The list of candidates was published on Saturday 8th and candidates discussed their ideas in a General Assembly at 6.00 pm on Monday 10th in the College Lecture Theatre. Voting has taken place on Tuesday 11th from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm and yielded the following results:
Undergraduates
Sladjana Ajdinovic, Scienze Politiche e delle Relazioni Internazionali, year 2 (2 votes)
Giorgia Fontana, Medicina e Chirurgia, year 3 (15 votes)
Francesco Zambrini, Medicine and Surgery, year 3 (22 votes)
Postgraduates
Francesco Arena, Biologia Sperimentale e Applicata, year 1 (5 votes)
Arianna Armanetti, Scienze Fisiche, year 2 (4 votes)
Carmen Cardone, Electronic Engineering, year 1 (5 votes)
Student's representation and contribution to College life and development are taken in the highest regard at Volta and College is concerned by the low voter turnout (29.3%) in this post-Covid election. A range actions will be discussed and taken - jointly with the newly electd members of the VSU Committee - in order to enhance discussion and participation in College life.
College Concert
On the 5th of October at 9.00 pm the Associazione Coro Facoltà di Musicologia - APS will give a concert in Aula del Quattrocento (Pz Leonardo da Vinci, Pavia) to mark the opening of the new academic year at Volta. The distinguished choir, directed by Giovanni Cestino, will perform traditional songs as well new work - Novecento - written by composer Mauro Zuccante for texts of major twentieth century Italian poets (Pier Paolo Pasolini, Giovanni Pascoli, Aldo Palazzeschi, Diego Valeri, Giuseppe Ungaretti, Trilussa, Dino Campana, Vincenzo Cardarelli, David Maria Turoldo and Pierluigi Cappello). This will be the first performance of this work in Italy and Mauro Zuccante will be in attendance. The concert therefore will consitute a splendid opportunity to reunite members of Volta with musical work after years of absence caused by the Covid pandemic.
All College students are warnly invited to attend. The poster of the concert is available here.
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A group photograph of Associazione Coro Facoltà di Musicologia - APS.
College Assembly
On the 3rd of October at 5.00 pm the College will hold the traditional General Assembly that opens the new academic year at Volta. The event offers an insight into College life to Volta freshers and constitutes an opportunity to reflect on the work achieved in the previous academic year, the tasks and goals of the new academic year and College development in general. Francesco Rigano, professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Pavia and President of EDiSU, the College governing body, will attend and address the assembly. All students are warmly invited to join. The poster of the assembly is avaialble here.
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A typical Volta Assembly in the College lecture theatre from previous years.
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Embryonic Stem Cells
On the 26th of September at 5.00 pm Ryohichi Sugimura of the School of Biomedical Sciences of Hong Kong University will give a seminar entitled Spatiotemporal gene expression landscape of human embryonic organoids. A brief abstract of the seminar can be found below and the poster of the seminar is avaialble here.
The therapeuic potential of embryonic stem cells has been studied for more than 25 years but many challenges remain before the potential of cell-based therapies is realised. Ryohichi Sugimura and his colleagues have made outstanding progress in understanding the biology of human embryonic stem cells and are bringing forward the prospect of medical application of these cells in a number of areas from regeneration to immunity and cancer. The seminar will be of interest to all College students and will be of paramount importance to students of the Biology, Biotechnology and Medical Courses.
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Scanning lectron micrograph of embryonic stem cells in culture.
Abstract
We have employed novel types of stem cells to mimic the development of both embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues. We have established single-cell level spatial transcriptomics paired with scRNA-seq and imaging. The study revealed cross-talk between the placenta and neural crest. Further, we defined yolk sac hematopoiesis in our embryo models opening a venue to engineer immune cells against cancer.
Viruses & Health
On the 27th of September an interesting workshop on Viruses and Health will take place at Collegio Nuovo. The poster of the event is available here and students of Collegio Volta, many of whom read Biology, Biotechnology or Medicine, are warnly invited to attend.
As the recent Covid 19 pandemic has demonstrated viral disease continue to pose new and significant challenges to mankind. The study of these agent therefore is of primary importance and Collegio Volta is grateful to Collegio Nuovo for this initiative.
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An electron microscopy image of the Ebola virus.
Lifestyle, Health and College Life
On June 9th Anna Odone and Stefano Cacitti will visit College and will outline a questionnaire that she and her colleagues have devised and that addresses lifestyle and health issues of students living in the Colleges of the University of Pavia. The presentation will take place at 6.00 pm in the College lecture theatre and a flyer illustrating the scope of the questionnaire and the study is available here. All College students are invited to attend.
Lifestyle is a key health - and disease - determinant and it is important to have reliable information on the lifestyle of members of the collegiate community of the University of Pavia in order for Colleges and University to discourage practices that harm students health (unsafe sex, smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, etc) and promote practices that support healthy living and strong academic achievements. The format of the questionnaire preserves anonimity and over 700 students from other Colleges have returned it. Collegio Volta therefore hopes that its students will participate and make a strong contribution to this valuable study.
Speaker
Anna Odone is professor of Public Health at the University of Pavia and a member of Consiglio Superiore di Sanità (Italian Ministry of Health). Stefano Cacitti is a postgraduate medical student in Public Health.
Riconoscimento e tutela dell'orientamento sessuale e dell'identità di genere: tra diritto costituzionale e diritto penale
26 May 2022. Luciana Goisis, University of Sassari and Angelo Schillaci, University of Rome La Sapienza
Riconoscimento e tutela dell'orientamento sessuale e dell'identità di genere: tra diritto costituzionale e diritto penale
Gioverdì 26 Maggio 2022 alle ore 11.00 nell'Aula del Collegio Luciana Goisis dell’Università di Sassari e Angelo Schillaci dell'Università di Roma la Sapienza e terranno un seminario dal titolo Riconoscimento e tutela dell'orientamento sessuale e dell'identità di genere: tra diritto costituzionale e diritto penale. Il seminario è il terzo di una serie di quattro seminari dedicati al tema dell'Identità di genere e inclusività organizzato dalla Volta Political Society e che si terranno rispetitticamente il 16, 19, 23 e 26 Maggio corrente. Il poster della serie è disponibile a questa pagina. Il link per partecipare al seminario del 26 Maggio via zoom è il seguente:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84874443234?pwd=peH-TOTd9jeiTgBqDFA1FIOvSNlO96.1
Tutti gli studenti del Collegio sono invitati a partecipare a questa serie che tocca temi di grande interesse per la società in generale e per i giovani in modo particolare. Il Collegio ringrazia Ludovica Ferrero, segretaria della Volta Political Society per il suo impegno nell'organizzare questa importante serie di seminari.
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Abstract
L’intervento di L Goisis affronterà il rapporto fra omosessualità, omotransfobia e diritto penale, con un alcuni cenni comparatitici ai crimini d'odio omotransfobico, per poi analizzare le argomentazioni contrarie alla criminalizzazione dell'omotransfobia, le quali verranno confutate sul piano politico-criminale e dei principi penalistici. La relazione si concluderà con una proposta de lege ferenda che, pur mantenendone l'impianto, vada oltre il DDL Zan. L’intervento di A Schillaci avrà ad oggetto lo stato della legislazione italiana in materia di affermazione dell'identità di genere e, in particolare, le interpretazioni e i limiti della legge n. 164/1982. L'esame del procedimento di rettificazione anagrafica verrà condotto alla luce della giurisprudenza costituzionale e della giurisprudenza della Corte europea dei diritti dell'uomo che - riconoscendo nell'affermazione dell'identità di genere il contenuto di un diritto fondamentale tutelato, rispettivamente, dalla Costituzione e dalla Convenzione europea per la salvaguardia dei diritti dell'uomo e delle libertà fondamentali - ne hanno progressivamente chiarito la portata, definendo le più corrette modalità per la sua attuazione da parte del legislatore.
Biografie
Luciana Goisis. L Goisis è Professore Associato di Diritto Penale presso il Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza dell’Università degli Studi di Sassari, ove è titolare del Corso di Criminologia, Diritto Penale commerciale, Diritto Penale II, Diritto Penale internazionale e Diritto Penale antidiscriminatorio. Ha conseguito l’abilitazione scientifica nazionale, quale Professore Ordinario, nel settore concorsuale 12/G1–Diritto Penale. È membro del collegio docenti del dottorato in Scienze Giuridiche dell’Università degli Studi di Sassari. Ha partecipato a numerosi progetti di ricerca nonché a numerosi convegni nazionali e internazionali. Membro dell’Associazione Italiana dei Professori di Diritto Penale, questi, tra gli altri, gli interessi di ricerca: il sistema sanzionatorio, le cause di giustificazione e le scusanti, l’istituto della provocazione, il diritto penale internazionale e umanitario, la corruzione internazionale, il sovraffollamento carcerario, il multiculturalismo, le nuove forme di riduzione in schiavitù, nonché, segnatamente, la violenza di genere. Più di recente si dedica allo studio del diritto penale antidiscriminatorio e dei crimini d’odio razziale, religioso, omotransfobico e di genere in particolare, tema su cui è stata audita in Commissione Giustizia della Camera dei Deputati. Su questi ambiti di ricerca si focalizzano le pubblicazioni scientifiche (articoli su rivista, opere collettanee e monografiche, voci di trattati e commentari).
Angelo Schillaci A Schillaci è Professore associato di Diritto pubblico comparato. Nel 2018 ha conseguito l’Abilitazione scientifica nazionale a Professore di I fascia nel settore concorsuale 12/E2 (Diritto comparato). In precedenza, è stato ricercatore a tempo determinato (cat. B) e assegnista di ricerca in Diritto pubblico comparato nel Dipartimento di Scienze giuridiche di “Sapienza” Università di Roma e assegnista di ricerca in Diritto costituzionale nell’Università degli Studi di Teramo. Dall’A.A. 2011/2012 all’A.A. 2014/2015 ha avuto incarichi di insegnamento nell’Università di L’Aquila. Nel 2008, ha conseguito il Dottorato di ricerca in “Teoria dello Stato e istituzioni politiche comparate” presso “Sapienza” Università di Roma e il titolo di Doctor en Derecho presso la Universidad de Granada (Spagna). È stato componente di progetti di ricerca in Italia e all’estero ed è attualmente PI di un progetto di ricerca di Ateneo (cat. medio), finanziato su base competitiva. Fa parte del Comitato di redazione e del Comitato editoriale di GenIUS – Rivista di studi giuridici sull’orientamento sessuale e l’identità di genere e del Comitato editoriale della Revista de Derecho constitucional europeo; è collaboratore e redattore del portale di studi giuridici Articolo29.it. Dal 2011 collabora con la Fundación Peter Häberle, istituita presso la Universidad de Granada (Spagna). Svolge inoltre attività di consulenza giuridica presso enti pubblici e associazioni. Come professore invitato, ha svolto corsi e lezioni nella Universidad de Granada (Spagna), nella Universidade de Lisboa (Portogallo), nella Pontificia Universidade do Rio Grande do Sul (Brasile), nella Uninove di Sao Paulo (Brasile), nella Universidade Positivo di Curitiba, nell’Instituto de Direito Publico di Brasilia e in numerose Università italiane. È autore di due monografie (Le storie degli altri. Strumenti giuridici del riconoscimento e diritti civili in Europa e negli Stati Uniti, Napoli, Jovene, 2018; Diritti fondamentali e parametro di giudizio. Per una storia concettuale delle relazioni tra ordinamenti, Napoli, Jovene, 2012) e di numerosi articoli e saggi riguardanti la tutela multilivello dei diritti fondamentali, il riconoscimento della vita familiare omosessuale e dell’omogenitorialità, la tutela dell’orientamento sessuale e dell’identità di genere, l’obiezione di coscienza, la tutela della dignità alla fine della vita e i diritti della sfera riproduttiva. Ha curato tre volumi collettanei: Le nuove frontiere del diritto dell'immigrazione: integrazione, diritti, sicurezza (con F. Angelini e M. Benvenuti), Napoli, Jovene, 2011; Omosessualità, eguaglianza, diritti. Desiderio e riconoscimento, Roma, Carocci, 2014; Riproduzione e relazioni. La surrogazione di maternità al centro della questione di genere (con B. Pezzini e M. Caielli), CIRSDe – Centro Interdisciplinare di Ricerche e Studi delle Donne e di Genere - Università degli Studi di Torino, 2019. Ulteriori pubblicazioni riguardano la disciplina giuridica delle migrazioni, il rapporto tra libertà e sicurezza nel contrasto al terrorismo internazionale, la storia costituzionale e la storia del pensiero giuridico (con saggi relativi al pensiero filosofico-giuridico di Aldo Moro, alla riflessione di Peter Häberle sulle garanzie procedurali dei diritti fondamentali e all’influenza del pensiero femminista sul pensiero giuridico). Si è inoltre occupato del principio di solidarietà nel processo di integrazione europea, del ruolo dei movimenti nelle trasformazioni contemporanee della democrazia e, di recente, dell’impatto del populismo sulla tenuta della democrazia costituzionale in Europa..
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