-
Crystals, Cobblestones, and Conversations – A Typical Work Week in Bologna
Author: Lincoln Katleski After a long Italian holiday weekend, I returned to Bologna on Tuesday with a fresh mind and one goal: unravel the secrets of my terephthalic acid sample. This wasn’t just chemistry, it was a captivating puzzle. The sample’s thermosalient behavior (yes, it jumps when heated) and intricate phase transitions had me hooked. […]
-
Week 2: Bikes, Beaches, and Molecular Dynamics
Author: Andrew Foster I’m still in disbelief that I’ve been in Italy for over two weeks now! This whole experience has felt like a fever dream straight out of a coming-of-age movie. The first few days in Modena were spent settling in, exploring the city, and figuring out the logistics of the university. Our group […]
-
2025 IRES Kicks Off!
Author: William Archacki This week we arrived in Italy! We are a cohort of six American students funded by the National Science Foundation’s CRYSTAL Dynamics IRES grant to conduct research on materials chemistry at Italian universities this summer. I met my peers during a layover at Chicago O’Hare airport, where we boarded a flight to […]