

On May 15th, 2025, the award ceremony for the 2024 Master’s Degree Prizes in Automation and Control Engineering, in memory of Professors Claudio Maffezzoni and Nicola Schiavoni, was held at the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering of the Politecnico di Milano.
The Schiavoni Prize is dedicated to theses focused on the development of innovative methodologies for automation and control; the Maffezzoni Prize is awarded to theses that have contributed to the application of advanced automation and control techniques in high-tech fields.
Each prize consists of a certificate and a €1,000.00 cash award for the winner.
The winners of the 2024 edition are:
Maffezzoni Prize
Giulio Finotto
Thesis title: Longitudinal and lateral ground handling control of over-actuated aircraft
Schiavoni Prize
Federico Porcari
Thesis title: Data-driven design of anti-windup control systems
Congratulations to both award-winning students!
Around 90 students from the Bachelor’s Degree Program in Automation Engineering, along with several professors, visited the Smart Production Solutions (SPS) Italy fair. SPS Italy is the trade fair for intelligent, digital, and sustainable industry, recognized as a key event for the Italian manufacturing sector: the annual meeting to explore new trends and discuss the most challenging topics in industrial automation. In addition to visiting the fair, the students participated in a customized program of meetings at the stands of major companies in the field, discovering the most advanced solutions on the market, based on artificial intelligence and IoT.
The PoliMOVE Autonomous Racing Team, part of the performance division of AIDA – Artificial Intelligence Driving Autonomous – Politecnico di Milano, under the guidance of Prof. Sergio M. Savaresi from the Department of Electronics, Information, and Bioengineering, has set a new speed record for an autonomous vehicle, reaching 318 km/h (197.7 mph).
The Maserati MC20 Coupé of the Indy Autonomous Challenge, driven by the AI developed by the Politecnico di Milano, achieved a new world record for autonomous speed, reaching 318 km/h during the 1000 Miglia Experience Florida at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. This is the same location where, in 2022, the team had already set the previous record of 309.3 km/h.
This achievement highlights the significant technological advancements made by the AIDA team in the field of autonomous driving, enhancing the safety and reliability of the developed solutions.
This exceptional milestone marks an important step forward in the development of high-performance autonomous driving and demonstrates how the knowledge gained from high-speed autonomous racing can be transferred to road vehicles. The test was conducted at the Space Florida Launch and Landing Facility, one of the world’s longest and most historic tracks.
Prof. Sergio M. Savaresi, Giulio Panzani e Matteo Corno, who teach in the Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree programs in Automation and Control Engineering, are responsible for courses such as Automation and Control in “Autonomous Vehicles”, “Automation and Control in Electric and Hybrid Vehicles” and “Process Control”, contributing their expertise to technological innovation in the field.
The Maserati MC20 Cielo then continued its journey across the United States as part of the 1000 Miglia Experience Florida, bringing Italian research excellence to the road. For more information: https://lnkd.in/e3FRvpPD
AIDA – Artificial Intelligence Driving Autonomous – Politecnico di Milano
Prof. Maria Prandini, a professor in the Department of Electronics, Information, and Bioengineering at the Politecnico di Milano and lecturer in the degree program for the courses Fundamentals of Automatic Control and Advanced and Multivariable Control, has been named a Milano Ambassador as part of the Milano Ambassador Programme. This recognition celebrates Prof. Prandini’s prominent role in promoting Milan as an international hub for high-profile events.
The Milano Ambassador Programme, promoted by Milano & Partners in collaboration with the YesMilano Convention Bureau, aims to highlight the excellence of those who, through their dedication, contribute to making Milan a prime destination for congresses, conferences, and global initiatives.
This recognition is linked to Prof. Prandini’s commitment to organizing the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, which will be held in Milan from December 16 to 19, 2024. The conference has been organized in collaboration with Prof. Luca Zaccarian from the University of Trento with the support of the office srl, Trieste , and in particular, Dr. Rossella Spangaro.
Prof. Prandini’s testimony highlighted Milan’s ability to support and host internationally significant scientific events.
Prof. Lorenzo Fagiano, a faculty member in the Department of Electronics, Information, and Bioengineering at the Politecnico di Milano, as well as the coordinator of the degree program and lecturer in the Master’s program in Automation and Control Engineering for the course “Numerical Optimization for Control”, is among the experts interviewed in an article by INFOBUILD | INFOBUILDENERGIA dedicated to the advantages and challenges of high-altitude wind energy.
This innovative technology aims to harness the stronger and more consistent winds found at higher altitudes, offering new opportunities for sustainable energy production while reducing environmental impact compared to traditional solutions. However, its development requires overcoming significant technological challenges, which researchers like Prof. Fagiano and his team at the Safe Automation Systems Laboratory (SAS-Lab) are actively tackling.
Specifically, SAS-Lab’s research activities on high-altitude wind energy are conducted within numerous national and international initiatives, including Meridional EU, the upcoming MSCA Network AWETRAIN, the extended partnership NEST – Network 4 Energy Sustainable Transition, the NextWind project supported by Fondazione Cariplo, and PRIN PNRR DeepAirborne, which involves the Politecnico di Torino (MOREnergy Lab), the Istituto di Ingegneria del Mare of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Delft University of Technology, and the association Airborne Wind Europe.
For more details: https://lnkd.in/eu-Nh8de
In the new fitness center at the Giuriati Sports Center, the Climbing Lab is currently being designed—a climbing research laboratory funded by the Club Alpino Italiano(Italian Alpine Club) and conceived by Professor Alessandro Colombo, a faculty member teaching Systems Theory (Nonlinear Dynamics) at the Department of Electronics, Information, and Bioengineering of Politecnico di Milano.
The project aims to create a research environment dedicated to studying climbing movement and developing new technologies applicable to both sport climbing and therapeutic climbing. The facility will feature a bouldering wall approximately seven meters wide and four meters high, with adjustable inclination, designed to integrate a network of force sensors, a motion tracking system, and other advanced measurement tools.
The laboratory seeks to become a reference platform for quantitative movement analysis, making a significant impact in scientific research, sports applications, and rehabilitation. Additionally, it will be a new resource accessible to students enrolled in the study program.
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