Francesco Monticone honored among Italian researchers working in the US

Celebrating the bond between Italy and the United States, the Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation (ISSNAF), presented Cornell ECE’s Francesco Monticone with the Franco Strazzabosco Young Investigator Award at their annual event honoring the best young Italian Researchers in the US.

ISSNAF is a foundation that brings together thousands of Italian scientists and academics working in laboratories, universities and research centers in North America. Founded in 2007 by prominent Italian scientists and scholars in North America, ISSNAF promotes cooperation between Italian researchers and scholars working here and the world of pure and applied research in Italy. The Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C. announced the winners of annual awards in a press release.

“I am really honored,” Monticone said, “especially because this award represents both of my worlds: Italy, which gave me my origins, and the United States, which gave me the opportunity to study and conduct the research I am passionate about.”

Monticone, whose family is from Ghemme, Italy, won the award presenting his work on applied electromagnetics and, more broadly, electrical engineering, areas in which Italian scientists and engineers have been making major contributions for more than a century, starting with Alessandro Volta and Guglielmo Marconi.
 
Monticone credits his parents, Fiorenza and Antonio, with launching his academic research career. “They encouraged my curiosity and my passion for learning and teaching,” he said. “Additionally, my Ph.D. advisor, Professor Andrea Alú, was the best mentor a student can hope for, and a great example to look up to. He was the very first recipient of the Strazzabosco Award in 2013 and, in my opinion, he is one of the greatest Italian engineer and scientist of this generation.”

The Strazzabosco family established the Franco Strazzabosco Award for Engineers in 2013 as a tribute to the late Italian engineer who worked in the field of hydroelectric power and contributed to energy development in Italy.

Other Articles of Interest