Gold Medal of Catalonia Awarded to Italian Scientist Caterina Biscari

Gold Medal of Catalonia Awarded to Italian Scientist Caterina Biscari

(ANSA) - MADRID, 09 SET - The president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, awarded the “Medalla d’Or de la Generalitat” to Italian scientist Caterina Biscari during a ceremony in Barcelona attended by the Italian Consul General in Barcelona, Gabriele Luca Fava, and the Embassy’s scientific attaché, Sergio Scopetta. Established in 1978, the Gold Medal of the Generalitat is the highest honor bestowed by the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and has been awarded to universally renowned figures such as Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Pau Casals, Josep Carreras, and Montserrat Caballé. A physicist and director of the Alba Synchrotron—one of Spain’s major research facilities—Caterina Biscari is the first non-Spanish citizen to receive this honor. The official citation states that “Biscari has strengthened the international profile of research conducted in Catalonia. Her scientific career combines scientific excellence, service to society, and collaborative leadership. She serves as a role model for women in science and has helped raise the visibility of women in decision-making positions within European research.” Caterina Biscari, born in Sicily, attended the Italian State School in Madrid and earned her bachelor’s degree from the Complutense University. She subsequently earned her Ph.D. from the University of Naples Federico II. As a researcher at the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), she specializes in particle accelerator physics, a field in which Italy boasts a long tradition of excellence, dating back to the pioneering studies of Edoardo Amaldi and Bruno Touschek at the INFN’s Frascati National Laboratories (LNF), where Biscari began her career. From there, her work expanded to other major institutions, such as CERN in Geneva and, more recently, the National Center for Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO) in Pavia, where she has conducted fundamental, applied, and health-related research. Since 2012, she has been the director of the Alba accelerator in the Barcelona area. Alba is a synchrotron light source that enables the study of the properties of matter with a wide range of applications in the life sciences and materials science, relevant to both academia and industrial research. Since its founding, more than 10,000 researchers and over 100 companies have used Alba for their studies. Already an Officer of the Order of the Star of Italy and winner of the “Aldo Olcese 2026” award—established by the Italian Embassy in Madrid in memory of the distinguished compatriot who passed away prematurely last year— Caterina Biscari has consistently collaborated with the numerous scientific outreach initiatives organized by the Embassy and the Consulate General in Barcelona. The awarding of the “Medalla d’Or de la Generalitat” is further recognition of the excellence of the Italian education and research system and of our tradition in accelerator physics. Read article...