Cristalli!

Pilotta Stables

11 October – 30 November 2014

CRISTALLI! is an exhibition dedicated to Crystallography aimed at citizenship and young people in particular. The exhibition is part of the panorama of national and international initiatives organised to celebrate the International Year of Crystallography during 2014.

The Department of Chemistry and the Department of Physics and Earth Sciences have a solid scientific tradition in the fields of Crystallography, Chemical Structuring and Mineralogy in which they have represented since the 1960s a pole of recognised national and international relevance. At a local level, the presence in our territory of prestigious companies operating in the pharmaceutical, food, agrochemical and innovative materials fields makes crystallography a strategic tool for tackling innovation and development with the most modern scientific instruments.

THE STRUCTURE

The exhibition is divided into 12 sections that illustrate the scientific principles of crystallography, the history of the discipline, the countless and sometimes unimaginable correlations with everyday life and the territory, and the correlation between crystallography and art:

– Crystals – objects of desire: the fascination of gems and minerals

– Crystals in history: crystallography from Pliny to Haüy

– A look at crystals: techniques and experiments

– Crystals and symmetries: Escher and beyond

– The life of crystals: the birth and growth of crystals, from the Naica caves to the Space Shuttle

– Journey to the centre of a crystal: the atomic structure

– Crystals, chemistry and physics: colour, fluorescence and more

– Crystals and life: proteins and DNA

– Crystals in space: meteorites in Parma

– Crystals around us: applications in everyday life

– Crystals and art: the fascination of light and symmetry

– Crystals and Parma: the thousand faces of cheese, ham, ice cream, spas and medicine

– Do-it-yourself crystals: interactive activities for children

THE UNIVERSITY’S COMMITMENT

The Departments of Chemistry and Physics Earth Sciences fielded a staff of more than 20 lecturers, technicians and students to actively work on the design and set-up. Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students were also involved in the organising committee, contributing to the games and experiments section dedicated to children. The Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione of the University of Parma supported the colleges with great expertise and interdisciplinary vision. The Settore Musei of University made an invaluable contribution to coordinating the organisation. The Scientific Degrees Plan provided support for the involvement of schools and the production of teaching materials.

Il Museo di Storia Naturale dell’Università di Parma ha aperto le sue collezioni per illustrare la sezione della simmetria in natura, e il Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale e il Dipartimento SBiBiT dell’Università di Parma hanno fornito interessante materiale per la sezione su proteine e biominerali. Un accento particolare sarà posto sulla valorizzazione del patrimonio dell’Ateneo, con esposizione di reperti e strumentazioni storiche, testi antichi e materiale iconografico posseduto dai due Dipartimenti coinvolti. e di opere di proprietà dello CSAC.

THE EXHIBITION AND PARMA

Locally, the presence of prestigious companies operating in the pharmaceutical, food, agrochemical and innovative materials fields makes crystallography a strategic tool for tackling innovation and development with the most modern scientific instruments.

Researchers and experts from important companies and local institutions have actively contributed to the scientific realisation of the exhibition, emphasising the close relationship between the world of crystallography and local realities: researchers from Chiesi Farmaceutici, researchers from Eridania Sadam, experts from the Gruppo Naturalistico Mineralogico Paleontologico Parmense, researchers from the Chemical Laboratory of the Salsomaggiore and Tabiano Spas, and experts from the State Archives and the Palatine Library for the retrieval of material relating to the presence of crystals in the city’s ancient history.

The video of the inauguration