Inaugural Lecture - Prof. Gabriele Manoli
Event details
| Date | 29.03.2023 |
| Hour | 17:30 › 18:45 |
| Speaker | Gabriele Manoli |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Inaugural lectures - Honorary Lecture |
| Event Language | English |
Date: 29 March 2023
Time: 17:30 - 18:45
Introductions by the Dean, lectures by Prof. Charlotte Malterre-Barthes and Prof. Gabriele Manoli. Followed by an Apero.
Place: CO2
Zoom link
Title:
"On trees, cities, and health"
Abstract
Trees and, more in general, vegetation regulate the exchanges of water, carbon, and energy at the land surface modulating a variety of biotic and abiotic processes occurring within the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. Cities, on the other hand, disrupt such natural dynamics and modify the mass and energy budgets at the land surface with negative impacts on local climate and people's health. Hence, green urbanism, eco-cities, and innovative green infrastructures are being promoted and adopted worldwide to improve urban well-being. Yet, most of these efforts are guided by aesthetic, conceptual, and qualitative principles rather than a quantitative understanding of the underlying biophysical processes, scales, and feedbacks. In this talk, results on the magnitude and seasonality of urban heat islands and the ability of vegetation to improve urban microclimate will be presented. These findings show that reconnecting cities (and people) to Nature is key to design greener and healthier urban environments, but a multidisciplinary approach that bridges the gap between many research fields (from physics, to ecology, architecture, and economy) is required.
About the speaker
Gabriele Manoli received a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering Sciences in 2014 from the University of Padova (Italy). From 2014 to 2016, he was a Postdoctoral Associate at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University (USA) and, from 2016 to 2019, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Environmental Engineering at ETH Zurich (Switzerland). In 2017 he was awarded a Branco Weiss Fellowship and in 2019 he joined University College London (UK) as a lecturer in Environmental Engineering. Since 2020 he is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and member of UCL Urban Laboratory’s Steering Committee. In September 2022 he was appointed Tenure-Track Assistant Professor at EPFL where he is now the director of the Laboratory of Urban and Environmental Systems (URBES). His research focuses on soil-plant-atmosphere processes in natural and built environments, urban climate, and the structure and dynamics of cities.
Time: 17:30 - 18:45
Introductions by the Dean, lectures by Prof. Charlotte Malterre-Barthes and Prof. Gabriele Manoli. Followed by an Apero.
Place: CO2
Zoom link
Title:
"On trees, cities, and health"
Abstract
Trees and, more in general, vegetation regulate the exchanges of water, carbon, and energy at the land surface modulating a variety of biotic and abiotic processes occurring within the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. Cities, on the other hand, disrupt such natural dynamics and modify the mass and energy budgets at the land surface with negative impacts on local climate and people's health. Hence, green urbanism, eco-cities, and innovative green infrastructures are being promoted and adopted worldwide to improve urban well-being. Yet, most of these efforts are guided by aesthetic, conceptual, and qualitative principles rather than a quantitative understanding of the underlying biophysical processes, scales, and feedbacks. In this talk, results on the magnitude and seasonality of urban heat islands and the ability of vegetation to improve urban microclimate will be presented. These findings show that reconnecting cities (and people) to Nature is key to design greener and healthier urban environments, but a multidisciplinary approach that bridges the gap between many research fields (from physics, to ecology, architecture, and economy) is required.
About the speaker
Gabriele Manoli received a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering Sciences in 2014 from the University of Padova (Italy). From 2014 to 2016, he was a Postdoctoral Associate at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University (USA) and, from 2016 to 2019, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Environmental Engineering at ETH Zurich (Switzerland). In 2017 he was awarded a Branco Weiss Fellowship and in 2019 he joined University College London (UK) as a lecturer in Environmental Engineering. Since 2020 he is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and member of UCL Urban Laboratory’s Steering Committee. In September 2022 he was appointed Tenure-Track Assistant Professor at EPFL where he is now the director of the Laboratory of Urban and Environmental Systems (URBES). His research focuses on soil-plant-atmosphere processes in natural and built environments, urban climate, and the structure and dynamics of cities.
Links
Practical information
- Informed public
- Registration required
Organizer
- SAR - Gesualdo Casciana