On Friday, October 27, 2023, at 10:00 AM, the Aula Magna of the European University of Rome will host the presentation of the book “80th Parallel. An Adventure Through Science and Ice” by Paola Catapano, project manager of the PolarQuest2018 expedition and science communicator at CERN in Geneva.
The book recounts the preparation of the Arctic expedition – known as PolarQuest2018 – and, written as a true travel diary, tells the story of the days spent aboard Nanuq, an 18-meter fully sustainable sailboat. The vessel carried the participants all the way to the 82nd parallel north. The journey commemorated the 90th anniversary of Umberto Nobile’s airship Italia expedition, retracing part of its route: one of PolarQuest’s scientific goals was, in fact, to search for the remains of the airship.
The GREAL laboratory was also represented aboard Nanuq by Prof. Gianluca Casagrande, who led Project AURORA (Accessible UAVs for Research and Observation in Remote Areas), one of four research initiatives conducted on board.
During the presentation, which will feature a conversation between Paola Catapano and Prof. Casagrande, selected excerpts from the book will be read by actress Ottavia Fusco Squitieri.