Umberto Colombo (scientist)

Umberto Colombo (1927 – 13 May 2006) was a Jewish-Italian chemical engineer, academic and the minister of universities, science and technology of Italy.

Umberto Colombo
Born1927
Died13 May 2006 (aged 78)
Rome
NationalityItalian
CitizenshipItaly
Alma materUniversity of Pavia
AwardsConrad Schlumberger Award (1958)
Honda award for ecotechnology (1984)
Scientific career
FieldsChemical Engineering
Physical Chemistry
InstitutionsUniversity of Milan

Early life and education

Colombo was born in 1927.[1] He received a PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Pavia.[1][2] He was a Fulbright Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States.[2]

Career

Colombo trained as a chemical engineer [3] and worked as a professor at the University of Milan in the 1970s.[4] He served as the president of the Italian energy firm ENI for a short period from November 1982 to January 1983 [5] before being appointed as the head of the Italian nuclear energy unit.[6]

From 1993 to 1994 Colombo served as the minister of universities, science and technology in the Ciampi cabinet.[7][8] Following this he became a member of the Italian national council of economy and labour.[3] He was one of the shareholders of Energy Conversion Devices and became a member of its board of directors in July 1995 before retiring in November 2004.[9]

Other posts that Colombo held included the chairman of ENEA (Italian national agency for new technology, energy and the environment; 1983-1993),[1] president of the European science foundation (1991-1993),[1] chairman of the Italian hydrocarbons trust, director general of Montedision's R&D and strategic planning, director of Montecatini's G. Donegani research centre, governor of the international development research centre (IDRC; 1985-1990) in Canada,[7] chairman of the United Nations's advisory committee on science and technology for development (1984-1986),[7] chairman of LEAD-Europe,[10] and president of the European institute research management association.[2][9] He was also a member of the Club of Rome's executive committee that had been founded by Aurelio Peccei.[11]

Works

In 1989, Colombo and fellow Italian scientist Francesco Scaramuzzi experimented with nuclear fusion reporting that they had successfully creating nuclear fusion at room temperature.[12]

Awards

Colombo was the recipient of the Honda Foundation's award for ecotechnology in 1984.[1][13] He was also awarded China's state international scientific and technological cooperation award in 1999.[14]

Death

Colombo died in Rome on 13 May 2006 aged 78.[9]

References
  1. U. Colombo; D. Siniscalco. "Environmental economics and sustainable development" (PDF). Dimensions of Sustainable Development. II.
  2. "Umberto Colombo Profile Page". Lead. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  3. "Bose's microwave transmitter". Frontline. 15 (6). 21 March – 3 April 1998.
  4. Jeffrey Hart (15 February 1977). "No good news, please". Lewiston Evening Journal. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  5. Cuando el mercado se estremece: el reto directivo de la reestructuración de la industria. Harvard Business Press. 1986. p. 155. ISBN 978-0-87584-136-6.
  6. "Energy Chief In Italy Quits". The New York Times. Rome. Reuters. 26 January 1983. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  7. "ECD names a new board member". PR News. 26 June 1995. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  8. Dan V. Segre (17 January 2010). "The Roles of the Jews in Italian Society". Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (53).
  9. "Umberto Colombo, Former ECD Director, Dies in Rome, Italy". PR News. 24 May 2006. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  10. Valentina Sereni (September–October 1998). "No Simple Recipe". Galileo.
  11. "Declaration of the Club of Rome". The Club of Rome. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  12. "Italian gets nuclear fusion with new technique". Lawrence Journal. Rome. AP. 19 April 1989. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  13. "Past Laureates, 1980". Honda Foundation. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  14. "China Confers State Award to Brazilian Expert". People's Daily. 28 June 2000. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
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