Umberto Colombo
Born1927
Died13 May 2006 (aged 78–79)
Rome
NationalityItalian
CitizenshipItaly
Alma materUniversity of Pavia
AwardsConrad Schlumberger Award (1958)
Honda award for ecotechnology (1984)
Scientific career
Fields
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Physical Chemistry
InstitutionsUniversity of Milan

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

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), president of the European Science Foundation (1991-1993), 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, chairman of the United Nations's advisory committee on science and technology for development (1984-1986), chairman of LEAD-Europe,[10] and president of the European institute research management association.[1][2][7][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 created 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. 1 2 3 4 U. Colombo; D. Siniscalco. "Environmental economics and sustainable development" (PDF). Dimensions of Sustainable Development. II.
  2. 1 2 3 "Umberto Colombo Profile Page". Lead. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  3. 1 2 "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. 1 2 "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. 1 2 3 "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. Associated Press. 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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