The last week of a semester out of the ordinary

At the beginning of this spring semester the COVID-19 emergency seemed far away and the measures taken by USI only affected members of the academic community returning from China, who were requested a 14-day quarantine period. As the weeks went by, the emergency touched the whole community.

As the degree of emergency imposed by the authorities increased, USI progressively implemented its pandemic plan and related security measures. The campuses have been empty for weeks. It is important to underline that, first and foremost, USI stands by those members of the community who directly suffered the consequences of the virus.

Despite the difficult circumstances, the activities of the university have never stopped. Courses were completed, exams were organised, researchers and staff carried on with their work, support was provided to international students, deadlines at the Swiss National Science Foundation were met and even continuing education programmes found ways to complete their sessions. Several events took place for the first time at a distance: the 24th Dies academicus, graduation ceremonies, the Bachelor Info Days and the Master Info Week (with a virtual tour that allowed future students to take a look at the university campuses). At the Academy of Architecture special attention was given to public conferences, also online, which marked the spring semester.

Now that the measures have been relaxed, USI would like to thank students, members of the teaching staff, and office staff for the great spirit of adaptation and for completing the semester. A goal not to be taken granted, which required the commitment of the entire USI community, which, united, was able to face the pandemic in safety while remaining faithful to its mission: to offer training, research and service to the region

The photo gallery features some meaningful images of the remote study, teaching and working experience. Below, a selection of articles from www.usi.ch/notizie shows how USI has adapted its activities to remain faithful to its mission even during the emergency.

Restare fedeli alla propria missione ai tempi del COVID-19

• Education 
  • Teaching in the time of Coronavirus: the eLearning Lab in the front line
  • The exams of the next session will be held online
  • Theses discussion in the age of Coronavirus
  • Virtual graduation for USI new graduates
• Research
  • COVID-19: IRB receives EU emergency research funding
  • Serological study launched in Ticino to fight the coronavirus outbreak
  • Serological tests in Ticino: the first results
    
  • Green light for the national research programme Corona Immunitas
  • The prospects of tourism in Ticino, in the age of coronavirus
  • IOR researchers suggest that androgen-deprivation treatments for prostate cancer could protect men from COVID-19
  • VirOmics Playground: combatting the coronavirus crisis with Big Data, a cross-disciplinary approach
    

• Servizio al territorio 
  • Coronavirus: the Swiss Confederation appoints a scientific advisory board and includes researchers from Ticino
  • USI taps into its international network for a gesture of solidarity
  • USI students volunteer to help the community
  • Solidarity Scholarships Fund 2020 - For students impacted by COVID-19
  • Public health experts at the service of the Confederation and the canton
  • Phase 2: how will habits change in Ticino? The results of the IRE survey
  • The importance of data to understand the pandemic
    
  • Coronavirus and advertising: interview with Matthew Hibberd in Corriere del Ticino
  • eLearning for the benefit of tourism during the emergency
  • Lockdown in Ticino: can startups survive the pandemic?

In addition, several members of USI's academic body have made available to the community a series of short videos featuring different aspects of this exceptional, each from a disciplinary point of view. We take this opportunity to thank them and retrace their contributions, which we propose in alphabetical order:

• The intensification of reality - Antonella Anedda 
• Technology as a cure, from the oven to the telephone - Gabriele Balbi
• Latin Literature to comfort ourselves and others -  Andrea Balbo
• Coronavirus outbreak and government measures - Giovanni Barone Adesi
• Economic scenarios for a post-Covid recovery - Moreno Baruffini
• The infection of the body in literature. Two Greek stories - Francesca Berlinzani
• Literature during an epidemic - Corrado Bologna
• Rediscovering ourselves in times of confinment - Damiano Costa
• Law and democracy in emergency situations - Federica De Rossa
• Four keywords to understand journalism during a pandemic - Philip di Salvo
• The effects of the pandemic on the Middle East Mediterranean region - Federica Frediani
• The Middle Ages between inhabited solitude and journeys through memory lane - Francesca Galli
• Crisis and pandemics in the Middle Ages and today, some food for though -  Andrea Gamberini
• Being a choir again - Maddalena Giovannelli
• The power of Why - Sara Greco
• Economic issues in Switzerland, in the age of coronavirus - Mario Jametti
• A month in Siena - Marco Maggi
• Transportation economics in the age of coronavirus - Rico Maggi
• Market volatility and economic policy in the age of coronavirus - Antonio Mele
• USI researchers review the health emergency response in Ticino - Marco Meneguzzo 
• The political activity of Cicero during retirement - Guido Milanese
• Covid-19 pandemic: where are we at? How data can help us to 'read' the situation - Antonietta Mira
• Social distance in the time of coronavirus - Rosalba Morese
• The handshake through history - Annick Paternoster 
  
• The sense of touch as the sense of our world - Stefano Prandi
• Epidemiology and urban planning - Sascha Roesler
• Re-opening businesses, how will our behavior change? - Luca Visconti