29th Dies academicus

The Dies academicus is the University's annual celebration and represents a moment of gathering and exchanging information on the development of USI. The next Dies academicus, the 29th, will be held on Saturday, 10 May 2025, at 10 am in West Campus Lugano Aula Magna according to the following programme:

Opening of the ceremony and address
Luisa Lambertini, Rector of Università della Svizzera italiana

Welcome address
Monica Duca Widmer, President of the Council of Università della Svizzera italiana

Greeting
Marina Carobbio Guscetti, State Councillor, Director of the Department of Education, Culture and Sport

Keynote address
Claude Nicollier, Swiss astronaut, interviewed by Giovanni Pellegri, L'ideatorio USI

Honours
Honorary doctorate to Maurice Herlihy
Honorary membership to Arturo Licenziati
USI medal to Michele Parrinello
The USI Alumni Award and the USI Raiffeisen Best Teaching Award will also be presented.

Art installation by the Compagnia Finzi Pasca
​​​​​​​Scenografia: Hugo Gargiulo
Scenografo associato: Matteo Verlicchi
Musica: Maria Bonzanigo
Video: Roberto Vitalini
Direzione tecnica: Pietro Maspero
Operatore tecnico: Giovanni Giovannoli 

For organisational purposes, please confirm your attendance at [email protected] by 18 April 2025.

At the end of the Dies, the campus will host an afternoon of open doors for families and interested parties. There will be plenty of fun activities to experiment and learn among stars, cells, circuits, spaces, signs and numbers. A planetarium, a giant cell, robots and much more.

Starting at 1 pm, there will also be the inauguration of a participatory street artwork by Yuri Catania, celebrating the USI community through a mosaic of over a thousand portraits of students, professors, researchers, institutional leaders and staff. More information on universo.usi.ch