Dear all,here with a quick...

Dear all, here with a quick report on the General Assembly in Porto of the past week and few proposals for future activities. The GA went well. Among the most important moments there was the first encounter with the chairs of other chapters. In particular, I met the chair of the North Italian chapter -- with which we'll have to have a joint meeting in Rome in the upcoming fall, and the chair of the Austrian Chapter, an Italian physisist by the name of Riccardo Biondi. Riccando and I think that the MCAA's main goal is to facilitate a network of alumni interested in producing NEW research and to attract funds to enable it. Hence we decided to give a new start to an already existing working group on climate change. It is such an important and essentially interdisciplinary topic that there is room for any alumnus to join if interested. The idea is to get some funds from the MCAA to allow members of the WG to meet in person to plan a bid for EU funds to carry out the research. One possible/likely form of such a bid is that of an ITN grant. We trust that an application in which all PIs are former MC fellows has a rather good chance to be succesful. So, I am asking each of you to consider this offer, let me know if of interest, and join the working group. Soon our chapter will have to have the first meeting among members. I am thinking of a hybrid form: those who cannot attend in person by travelling to Catania or Roma (tbd), perhaps may join us via skype or similar. We have some funds as chapter and more can be asked (I have learned in Porto) but for the moment I can only guarantee a lunch to all who attend in person. Let me know what you think. Luigi