Caterina Biscari, director of the ALBA Synchrotron and a former INFN researcher, has been awarded the “Medalla d’Or de la Generalitat” of Catalonia, the highest honour conferred by the Government of Catalonia. The distinction, awarded for the first time to a person who is not a Spanish citizen, was conferred on Biscari in recognition of her scientific and professional career and her contribution to the development and promotion of research in Catalonia.
The Gold Medal was presented on September 8 in Barcelona, during an institutional ceremony in the Saló Sant Jordi of the Palau de la Generalitat, presided over by the President of the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, who personally presented the honour to the Italian scientist. The ceremony was also attended by the Consul General of Italy in Barcelona, Gabriele Luca Fava, and the Scientific Attaché of the Embassy of Italy, Sergio Scopetta.
“This medal is a great honour for me and a source of satisfaction and emotion”, comments Caterina Biscari. “Above all, it represents recognition of the work of the entire ALBA team, as well as of the scientific and industrial community that collaborates with us and makes use of our facilities. It is an important sign of the Catalan Government’s support for science, research and innovation. And for me it also has great personal value: it confirms my bond with Catalonia, which has given me the opportunity to take part in a scientific project of excellence, immersed in its beauty made up of colours, flavours, sea and mountains, splendid cities and, above all, fantastic people”.
Established in 1978, the Gold Medal of the Generalitat is the highest honour awarded by the autonomous community of Catalonia and is conferred on individuals who have rendered eminent and extraordinary services to Catalonia in the political, social, economic, cultural or scientific fields. In the citation for the award, the Government of Catalonia highlighted the excellence of Biscari’s scientific career, her commitment to promoting collaboration in research and her contribution to the international visibility of research carried out in Catalonia. Her role in promoting the presence and visibility of women in science and in decision-making bodies in European research was also recognised.
Caterina Biscari has directed the ALBA Synchrotron, a major Spanish scientific infrastructure, since 2012. An experimental physicist and expert in particle accelerators, she previously worked at CERN in Geneva and at INFN Frascati National Laboratories, where she spent most of her research career in the field of particle accelerators, contributing to high-level scientific and technological projects, including the design, construction and commissioning of the DAΦNE electron-positron collider, the development at CERN of CTF3, a test and validation facility for a future linear collider, and the commissioning of the National Centre for Oncological Hadrontherapy in Pavia, now a European reference point for medical applications of accelerators. She has chaired LEAPS (League of European Accelerator-based Photon Sources) and serves in an advisory capacity for major research centres such as CERN, DESY and SLAC. She has been awarded the Narcís Monturiol Medal and the honour of the Order of the Star of Italy.
