On the occasion of STEM Week, from 4 to 11 February, at the Command of CSA-1ª Air Region of the Italian Air Force, located in Piazza Novelli, Milan, a series of conferences on disciplines took place. STEM aimed at promoting interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects among high school students in Milan.
To kick off the conference series was the Brigadier General Luca Baione, which highlighted the value of this initiative carried out under Law 187/2023: “The Italian Air Force he said – met with high school students from Milan during STEM Week 2025. The Air Force provided information to the young people who took part in the five conferences regarding STEM career paths within the Italian Air Force.. The sectors dealt with the boys – General Baione continued – ranging from aerospace engineering for the management of orbital assets to civil engineering to ensure the energy transition of military airports; from environmental detection and remediation capabilities to checks on fuels and aviation fluids; from aerospace medicine to climatology; from telecommunications to cybersecurity. In all these sectors, the Air Force can rely on first-rate professionalism. which allow the Armed Forces to be a global benchmark and to make available to the national community capabilities, sometimes unique, always ready to intervene in any civil emergency.”
The event saw the participation of students and lecturers from various High schools in Milan, secondary schools and technical institutes, who had the opportunity to follow a series of Conferences and meetings with experts Specialising in STEM sectors. Officers and specialists from the Air Force, coming from various branches of the Armed Force, such as the Engineering Department of Villafranca, the Technical Laboratories of Fiumicino and Villafranca, the Aerospace Medicine Institute of Milan, the Aeronautical and Space Experimentation Air Division, and Meteorology Departments, have shared their expertise and the importance of innovation in scientific sectors with the students. Through direct experiences and accounts from the operational world, the students were able to understand how these disciplines are fundamental for technological progress and the Nation's security.
A highly appreciated moment was also the presentation by the Air Force doctors, who illustrated the applications of Aerospace medicine, a discipline crucial for the health and safety of pilots and astronauts. Topics addressed included the effects of high altitude on the human body, the physical preparation of flight crews, and the innovations in the field of telemedicine and emergency medicine, used in both military and civilian contexts.
Among the event's participants, with a special conference, was also the Colonel Walter Villadei, astronaut and aerospace engineer of the Italian Air Force, who recounted his professional experience and the key role of STEM skills in space missions and the future challenges of exploration beyond Earth's atmosphere. During his speech, Colonel Villadei stressed the importance of scientific and technological training in the aerospace world: “Space exploration is STEM by definition, Therefore, it is necessary to plan, study and understand what happens in a particularly extreme situation such as spaceflight. Hence, we need scientists and researchers who can tackle and develop technologies to provide answers to those questions that have not yet been solved. And he then continued with a message for the young students: “What I want to pass on to new generations is Believe in your dreams With the awareness that through commitment and study, any result, even the most difficult and seemingly unattainable, such as becoming an astronaut, is in reality possible. Commitment, determination, perseverance, study, and a lot of passion are the keys to success. We are a country that continues to be one of the leading nations in the space sector, and as the Italian Air Force, we have a great interest in this field, so for students, space can represent not a distant dream but a concrete and attainable opportunity.
The closing day saw the participation of Dr Giovanni Caprara, Scientific columnist for the Corriere della Sera and President of UGIS (Italian Union of Scientific Journalists), who explained to the students the importance of communicating Science and Technology: “We must be aware of the world in which we live, especially you young people who will need to evolve with this rapidly changing world”And speaking of the STEM disciplines of the future, Caprara stressed: “The world of work today is completely different from that of a few years ago. The job of the future is simply unimaginable today. We will have professions that do not even exist today and we cannot even conceive of them.”Caprara concluded his speech by urging students to pursue educational pathways in STEM disciplines, stating that “A background with a scientific and technological basis is now of fundamental importance.”.
The STEM week initiative sparked great interest among participants, who showed curiosity and active engagement during the conferences, asking questions and interacting with the speakers. The Italian Air Force, always at the forefront of research and innovation, reaffirms its commitment to scientific dissemination and the training of new generations, so that they can face the challenges of the future with passion and determination.
