What is the University Third Mission

Third Mission comprises all the activities by which Universities interact directly with the society, joining the traditional missions of teaching and research. Among the various activities within the Third Mission, ANVUR indicates two main typologies:

• Economic enhancement of research: the goal is to favor the economic growth, through the transformation of knowledge produced by the research into knowledge useful for productive goals. In this field there is the management of intellectual property, the creation of companies, the activities for third parties and the relationships reserach-industry and the management of structures for support and brokerage, on a local territorial level;   
• A cultural and social mission: the production of public goods that increase the society welfare. This goodl can be cultural (events, cultural heritage, museums, public outreach), social (public health, activities for the community, technical and professional consulting), educationsl (adult education, lifelong learning and formation), or awareness (public debates, scientific expertise).

The Department of Physics has created a dedicated Committee to coordinate and monitor the activies related to Third Mission.

Committee for the Third Mission

The main goal of the Third Mission Committee is to coordinate and monitor the activies related to Third mission withih the Department.

The Committee monitors the various activities by updating the relative documentation and providing periodic report at the Department Council and indicating opportunities that might come.

The Committee is made of:

• Simone Capaccioli
• Sergio Giudici 
• Massimiliano Razzano

The composition of the Committee is updated every 2 years.

The Department of Physics, also through specific agreements, is traditionally the promoter of the Museum of Physics Instruments and the Scientific Playroom (Ludoteca Scientifica), that are main assets of the Museum System of the University of Pisa.

The Museum of Physics Instruments includes scientific instruments for physics and astronomy (18th, 19th and first half of the 20th century), which include inventions by Antonio Pacinotti, from the famous ‘macchinetta’, the first direct current dynamo-motor, up to systems with electromagnetic traction (all part of Fondo Pacinotti). The collections of the museum also comprise important archives, such as the documentary part of Fondo Pacinotti, the Pacinotti Archive, the Fermi-Persico Archive and the Riccardo Felici Archive, now conserved by the Library of Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics (University Library System).

The Ludoteca Scientifica-Dialogar di Scienza sperimentando sotto la Torre is the didactic section of the Museum. Every year it welcomes over 15,000 students from schools of all levels. In addition to the Galilean path dedicated to Physics, laboratories of Astronomy, Acoustics, Optics, Geology, Digital Technologies are set up, and numerous thematic laboratories can be booked, alone or with guided tours. In addition, astronomical evenings, meetings, seminars, book presentations, shows, theatre-science events and much more are organised.

For immersive photographs of the Ludoteca, click here.

Here are a few examples of our laboratories:

Submitted as a case of interest by the Physics Department in the framework of  the National Evaluation for the Quality of Research (VQR 2015-2019), the Ludoteca Scientifica, as unique provider of educational-scientific contents related to the experimental observations of Physics, received an excellent evaluation. This recognition of the socio-economic and cultural relevance of the Ludoteca, and of its ability to strengthen the image of the University of Pisa as key actor for socio-cultural growth, completed the excellent overall result obtained by the Department within the VQR.

In press: Talking about us.

In 2023 the Museum of Physics Instruments and the Ludoteca Scientifica were included in the museum itineraries of the city of Pisa.

Contact us

For more information please contact prof. Massimiliano Razzano.

The Director of the Museum of Physics Instruments and Ludoteca Scientifica is prof. Sergio Giudici.