Please don’t Delete 2026
Alberto COGLIATI
On 09/06/26, the 11th meeting of the cycle Please don’t Delete: Maths Dialogues was held with Prof. Alberto COGLIATI as speaker.
Title: Bernhard Riemann, two hundred years after his birth
Abstract: Bernhard Riemann was certainly one of the most influential mathematicians in history. The audacity of his insights, the fruitfulness of his methods and the breadth of his interests make him one of the principal architects of contemporary mathematics. A mathematician of universal vocation, Riemann was among the last to master with equal depth the most different fields of the discipline, such as geometry, analysis, mathematical physics and number theory.
The extraordinary power of his thought is, however, set against a life marked by personal fragility - precarious health, anxiety, and hesitation in self-expression - which limited the immediate dissemination of his ideas. Recognition of the scale of his contribution was largely posthumous, even though it proved decisive for the subsequent developments of mathematics and modern physics.
In a mix of human story and scientific research, two hundred years after his birth, this talk aims to outline the scientific biography of one of the most original and profound minds in modern science.
The meeting will be held in Room U4-01 (U4 Building | Piazza della Scienza 4, Milano) and will be introduced by Prof. Gianmario Tessitore, Director of the Department.
Alberto Cogliati is a full professor of the History of Mathematics at the Department of Mathematics, University of Padova. His main field of research concerns the history of geometry, and in particular the history of differential geometry between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His recent publications include: Non-Euclidean Geometry: A Brief History from Antiquity to Poincaré, Carocci, 2024. He is currently working on a new annotated edition of Gauss’s Disquisitiones generales circa superficies, for the Classic Texts in the Sciences series.
Luigi AMBROSIO
On 28/01/26, the 10th meeting of the cycle Please don't Delete: Maths Dialogues was held with Prof. Luigi AMBROSIO as speaker.
Title: Some topics of Real Analysis and Measure Theory, a century after Giuseppe Vitali
Abstract: In my seminar, I will illustrate Giuseppe Vitali's main contributions to Real Analysis and Measure Theory, trying to establish a bridge between his pioneering research and some current research topics.
The meeting was held in Room Sironi U4-8 (U4 Building | Piazza della Scienza 4, Milano) and was introduced by Prof. Gianmario Tessitore, Director of the Department.
Luigi Ambrosio is an Italian mathematician and full professor of Mathematical Analysis at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, where he has been Director since 2019. He is an internationally renowned figure in the field of mathematical analysis, particularly in variational calculus, measure theory, partial differential equations and optimal transport theory.
His scientific contributions had a significant impact on the development of the theory of bounded variation (BV) functions, continuity equations, and flows associated with non-regular vector fields. He is the author of numerous fundamental articles and monographs widely used in advanced research.
Throughout his career, he has received important awards, including the Caccioppoli Prize (1999), the Feltrinelli Prize (2012) and the ERC Advanced Grant. He is a member of several scientific academies and plays an active role in the international mathematical community.