Enrico Fermi’s Atomic Physics Lectures: A Legacy Unveiled
In the autumn of 1949, eleven years after leaving Italy, Enrico Fermi returned for the International Conference on Cosmic Rays in Villa Monastero, Varenna, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the Volta battery. This conference reunited global physicists, including Fermi, to discuss cosmic ray research. This return, post-World War II, was significant. Having left Italy […]
The Unveiled Atom: A Journey into the Paris of the Curies
On February 26, 2025, the Enrico Fermi Museum and the Curie Museum are joining forces for a special event. At the Enrico Fermi Research Center, the conference “The Unveiled Atom: A Journey into the Paris of the Curies through Stories, Discoveries, and Political Commitment” will be held. It will be an unmissable opportunity to immerse […]
A visit to the Curie Museum
A woman with a black work apron, an intense gaze turned to her instruments and a cloud of light hair gathered in a bun: perhaps there is no more iconic image than Marie Curie in her laboratory to represent a life dedicated to science. In Paris, in the building that housed the laboratory where Marie […]
A conference on Laura Capon Fermi
Tra le voci che abbiamo scelto per raccontare cosa è stato il Progetto Manhattan non poteva mancare quella di Laura Capon Fermi. Testimonia ironica, colta e sensibile, in Atomi in Famiglia riesce a renderci parte della sua quotidianità a fianco di Enrico Fermi, prima a Roma e poi negli Stati Uniti. Grazie al suo libro […]
The experiments of 1934. The periodic table
On March 27, Fermi bombarded aluminium and fluorine with neutrons, causing the Geiger-Muller counter to record some counts: the target nuclei had become ‘activated’. In the following weeks, he involved the whole group in the work. The plan was to systematically bombard all the periodic table elements with neutrons to explore the characteristics of the […]
The experiments of 1934 – March 27th
In 1934, Fermi and his collaborators became the world’s experts on using neutrons as projectiles to hit samples of different substances and make them radioactive. The Joliot-Curies discover artificial radioactivity. It all started in Paris in January, with the discovery of artificial radioactivity by French physicist Irène Curie, daughter of Marie Curie, and her husband […]
Manhattan Project. Watch the conference on our You Tube Channel
Per l’edizione 2024 di Lezioni Aperte – Intrecci tra fisica e storia, vi proponiamo un ciclo di appuntamenti dal titolo “Manhattan Project. Un racconto a più voci”. Nel corso delle conferenze, da gennaio a maggio, proveremo a raccontare cosa è stato il Progetto Manhattan dal punto di vista scientifico e storico, con le sue implicazioni […]
Giornata della Memoria 2024 – Lise Meitner
The Enrico Fermi Historical Museum of Physics and Study and Research Center remembers a male or female scientist who has suffered discrimination or persecution due to their Jewish origins. This year, as part of the Manhattan Project Conferences, we dedicate this day to Lise Meitner. Born in Vienna in 1878, Lise Meitner moved to Berlin […]
John Elkann visited the Enrico Fermi Museum
Before Christmas, we had the pleasure of hosting John Elkann for an informal and private visit. After the greetings, Elkann and the President of the institution, Luciano Pietronero, had the opportunity to exchange some ideas on the role of science in today’s society and on how research institutions can contribute to the higher education of […]
Manhattan Project. A Story with many voices.
For the 2024 edition of our open conferences, we propose “Manhattan Project. A tale of many voices.” Throughout the conferences – from January to May – we will try to explain what the Manhattan Project was from a scientific and historical point of view, with its human and ethical implications. We will rely on the […]
