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Brief Resume - Research Interests - Publications/Conferences - Awards and Distinctions -
Memberships - Contacts - Various - Blog - Links
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* PhD student at the Graduate School in Civil & Environmental Engineering Sciences at the University of Padova (02/01/2007 - 12/31/2009) in which my principal advisor Prof. Andrea Rinaldo (co-advised by Prof. Amos Maritan, Physics Dept.) is the head; FROM JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2008 AT PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, CEE Dept. and PEI, hosted by my foreign advisor J. S. McDonnell Distinguish Professor Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe;
* M.Sc. (Laurea Magistralis) in Civil Engineering - Hydraulics, University of Padova (10/25/2006), comprehensive mark 107/110, first of my class; "peer-reviewed" M.Sc. thesis ("Development of Optimal Channel Networks with Rainfall Eterogeneity") on Physics of Complex Systems related to Optimal Channel Networks Geomorphology, advisor Prof. A. Rinaldo, IMAGE Dept., University of Padua, co-advisor Prof. A. Maritan, Physics "Galileo Galilei", UniPd, and Prof. R. Rigon (the reviewer, see my evaluation letter), DICA, University of Trento, for the implemented software; equivalent GPA 3.8, ---> M.Sc. thesis' web-page link with the full dissertation, codes (under FSF-GNU p.l.), additional materials and so on (!), otherwise you can take the pdf reprint at Padua@Thesis the official digital thesis archive of the Unibersity of Padova.
* EAP University of California-University of Padua felllowship suitability for the Academic year 2006/2007, suitability as Visiting Student at the University of California Berkeley for the M.Sc. thesis in the field of Ecohydrology (this was the initial thinking.., on Berkeley Biometeorology Lab., ESPM, advisor Prof. D. D. Baldocchi) and for a supplement advanced academic year (graduate level) doing courses, Italian advisor Prof. A. Rinaldo, IMAGE Dept..
* B.Sc. (Laurea) in Civil Engineering, University of Padova (07/22/2004), comprehensive mark 100/110, equivalent GPA 3.55, first of my class; B.Sc. thesis ("Innovative techniques and materials in the construction and reliability of transportation infrastructures", experimental tests and FEM model simulations of new "environmental pavements"), advisor Prof. Marco Pasetto, DCT & Esperimental Transportation Laboratory, University of Padova, Italy; ---> take the pdf reprint at Padua@Thesis the official digital thesis archive of the Unibersity of Padova.
* Diploma of Surveyor and Structural Technical (July 2001), Secondary Technical School “G.B. Belzoni”, Padova, comprehensive mark 100/100 (here you can see and download some my spreadsheets & structural drawings I have made for various Applied Structural Mechanics projects (in "far" years 2000 & 2001 about..), ...therefore now, as you can see, I have changed completely my scientific fields...!);
* 07/20/1982, Padova, I was born!.
(ask me if you want my
complete pdf CV)
Research Interests (or better what I would like to do! ..."I am interdisciplinary as my mentors are"..)
Statistical
Mechanics applied to Earth & Environmental Sciences like Hydrology,
Ecology, Geomorphology, Biology, and Zoology. At the same I am interested in Physics
of Complex Networks from Information Networks to Natural and Social ones, so in
Stochastic Dynamical Modeling of Natural phenomena. Expertise are in Fractals
and Multifractals, Scaling processes and Aggregation phenomena, Hydrology (Surface/Subsurface, Ecohydrology
and Hydroclimatology) and Geophysical Modeling, Computational Methods.
Strong background is the field of Fluid Mechanics, Numerical Methods (particularly Finite Element Methods and its modern derived schemes), Statistical and Probabilistic Methods, Environmental Engineering and Continuum Mechanics.
Particularly multidisciplinary studies encounter my interest, such as Evolutionary Processes, Diseases Dynamics, Non-linear phenomena, Complexity and Life Sciences.
As a short initial statement of purpose I want to apply myself in the field of Physics of Complex Networks applied to Environmental Sciences so in Hydrology (especially in the emerging Ecohydrology), Geomorphology, Athmospherical Sciences, Ecology & Zoology, for example also in relation of Climate Change. Complexity and Non-linear Science is also able to describe important Biological Processes (which often imply outcomes in Evolutionary Processes and on Health) so I hope even to do some research in this sector.
Mechanics of Fluids is the discipline in which I am formed more than other one, so I can't forget it but I hope to study non-traditional problems (...I hope to create new knowledge and not only using what already exists...) and always related to the fields mentioned above: so I can cite Turbulence theory applied to the study of air modeling of landscape (even without taking in account air), in transport of pathogen agents (is possible to study epidemic networks), its influence on land-athmosphere fluxes (eg. in ABL), and finally for example in water where nutrients and bacteria are dependent on it (Which are the relations between macroscale food webs and turbulence...?).
There are many open questions between the macro-properties of networks (their pattern (not form...) and function) and the mesoµ-properties of their nodes, which are their relationship?
The dynamics of networks patterns formation are quite well understood but which are the perturbative elements that change the resulting patterns? Are scaling distributions and universality class invariant in the perturbated situation? But the fundamental question is: "Is possible to act against negative effects of "randomness" in the formation of networks?"
This last problem is crucial for example in Proteins Interaction Networks (PIN) where the hope is to solve some bad diseases (especially genetic diseases), but even in relevant Environmental issues, eg. the effect of Climate Change on the Distribution of Vegetation at basin scale and its effects on Watershed Transport Phenomena, primarily on the Hydrologic Response (one need is to prevent floods because they cause millions of deaths!).
In a short, but not so short (as a famous LaTeX manual is entitled ;)) list, my research interests are in:
Strong background is the field of Fluid Mechanics, Numerical Methods (particularly Finite Element Methods and its modern derived schemes), Statistical and Probabilistic Methods, Environmental Engineering and Continuum Mechanics.
Particularly multidisciplinary studies encounter my interest, such as Evolutionary Processes, Diseases Dynamics, Non-linear phenomena, Complexity and Life Sciences.
As a short initial statement of purpose I want to apply myself in the field of Physics of Complex Networks applied to Environmental Sciences so in Hydrology (especially in the emerging Ecohydrology), Geomorphology, Athmospherical Sciences, Ecology & Zoology, for example also in relation of Climate Change. Complexity and Non-linear Science is also able to describe important Biological Processes (which often imply outcomes in Evolutionary Processes and on Health) so I hope even to do some research in this sector.
Mechanics of Fluids is the discipline in which I am formed more than other one, so I can't forget it but I hope to study non-traditional problems (...I hope to create new knowledge and not only using what already exists...) and always related to the fields mentioned above: so I can cite Turbulence theory applied to the study of air modeling of landscape (even without taking in account air), in transport of pathogen agents (is possible to study epidemic networks), its influence on land-athmosphere fluxes (eg. in ABL), and finally for example in water where nutrients and bacteria are dependent on it (Which are the relations between macroscale food webs and turbulence...?).
There are many open questions between the macro-properties of networks (their pattern (not form...) and function) and the mesoµ-properties of their nodes, which are their relationship?
The dynamics of networks patterns formation are quite well understood but which are the perturbative elements that change the resulting patterns? Are scaling distributions and universality class invariant in the perturbated situation? But the fundamental question is: "Is possible to act against negative effects of "randomness" in the formation of networks?"
This last problem is crucial for example in Proteins Interaction Networks (PIN) where the hope is to solve some bad diseases (especially genetic diseases), but even in relevant Environmental issues, eg. the effect of Climate Change on the Distribution of Vegetation at basin scale and its effects on Watershed Transport Phenomena, primarily on the Hydrologic Response (one need is to prevent floods because they cause millions of deaths!).
In a short, but not so short (as a famous LaTeX manual is entitled ;)) list, my research interests are in:
* Physics of Complex
Networks, Stochastic Models and
Mathematical
Modeling of Natural Phenomena,
Fractals and Multifractals in Geophysics, Complex Systems, Statistical Mechanics, Patterns Formation;
* Stochastic Geomorphology, Bio-Ecogeomorphology, Ecohydrology (water-plants interactions, ..but why not considering water-animals and water-humans interactions..?), Evolutionary Biology, Ecology & Biogeography, Landscape Evolution models;
* Biological and Chemical Processes in the Hydrologic and Athmospheric Cycle, Transport Phenomena in Natural Cycles and their Interactions with Ecosystem (e.g. the Carbon Cycle), Hydrological Transport Phenomena;
* Hydroclimatology, Bio&Hydro-meteorology, Water Quality and Management;
* Surface Hydrology, Snow and Ice Hydrology, Remote Sensing;
* Environmental Science and Engineering, Ecology and Health Sciences, Contaminant Hydrogeology;
* Geosciences and Planetary Sciences, studies on "Extreme" Regions like Artic zones, Arid zones and Forests, Continental Erosion and River/Ocean Sediments, Landslide Triggering, Subsidence and Geothermal problems;
* Fractals, Chaos, Dynamics of Populations, Scale and Invariance problems, Risk Assesment, Energy Resources;
* Hydrodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Hydraulic Constructions, Agricultural Engineering, Hydrology Field Methods and Measurements;
* Computational Sciences, Computer Science & Programming, Mathematical Methods, Data Visualization & Treatment;
* Phylosophy of Science.
As regards my interests I know probably they are too much but the real question is What is bad and annoying in studying nature and science? I think one of the major roles of a scientist is in understanding which are the links between all disciplines because only with a large vision of problems we can get to know macro and microscopical problems, isn't it? So my interests are always in extension!
* Stochastic Geomorphology, Bio-Ecogeomorphology, Ecohydrology (water-plants interactions, ..but why not considering water-animals and water-humans interactions..?), Evolutionary Biology, Ecology & Biogeography, Landscape Evolution models;
* Biological and Chemical Processes in the Hydrologic and Athmospheric Cycle, Transport Phenomena in Natural Cycles and their Interactions with Ecosystem (e.g. the Carbon Cycle), Hydrological Transport Phenomena;
* Hydroclimatology, Bio&Hydro-meteorology, Water Quality and Management;
* Surface Hydrology, Snow and Ice Hydrology, Remote Sensing;
* Environmental Science and Engineering, Ecology and Health Sciences, Contaminant Hydrogeology;
* Geosciences and Planetary Sciences, studies on "Extreme" Regions like Artic zones, Arid zones and Forests, Continental Erosion and River/Ocean Sediments, Landslide Triggering, Subsidence and Geothermal problems;
* Fractals, Chaos, Dynamics of Populations, Scale and Invariance problems, Risk Assesment, Energy Resources;
* Hydrodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Hydraulic Constructions, Agricultural Engineering, Hydrology Field Methods and Measurements;
* Computational Sciences, Computer Science & Programming, Mathematical Methods, Data Visualization & Treatment;
* Phylosophy of Science.
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As regards my interests I know probably they are too much but the real question is What is bad and annoying in studying nature and science? I think one of the major roles of a scientist is in understanding which are the links between all disciplines because only with a large vision of problems we can get to know macro and microscopical problems, isn't it? So my interests are always in extension!
Publications/Conferences (excerpta)
In Peer Reviewed international scientific Journal:
* "The probabilistic structure of the distance between tributaries of given size in river networks", Convertino, M., R. Rigon, I. Rodriguez-Iturbe, A. Maritan, and A. Rinaldo, accepted on 2 August in WRR, AGU, 2007WR006176, [Convertino et al., 2007, in press] (results obtained in the first half year of my PhD programme);
* other articles in progress...(keep my fingers crossed for the success :) !)
Others:
* "Development of Otimal Channel Networks with Rainfall Eterogeneity", M.Sc. thesis (Laurea Magistralis), advisors: Prof. A. Rinaldo and Prof. A. Maritan (UniPd), coadvisor: Prof. R. Rigon (UniTn);
* "FluidTurtle routines for Oprimal Channel Networks", a (not completed) manual of a routine package written in C, mostly by Prof. Riccardo Rigon, which is a byproduct of my M.Sc. thesis work;
* "Innovative techniques and materials in the construction and reliability of transportation infrastructures", B.Sc. thesis (Laurea), advisor: Prof. M. Pasetto, UniPd.
Posters/Conferences' Lectures:
* "Vegetation Landscape and River Network Interactions: Biomass Dynamics and Biodiversity Patterns", 4th Working Group head by Prof. I. Rodriguez-Iturbe, 45 minutes oral presentation, IVSLA-SSED 2007, 06/07-16/2007, Venice; --> password required for downloading the presentation!
* Optimal Channel Networks images for the book “The Self-Made Tapestry: Pattern Formation in Nature”, edition 2007 Oxford University Press, by Philip Ball, Nature’s editor and scientific writer;
* "The probabilistic structure of tributaries in river networks: fractal properties, ecological implications", accepted 15 min. lecture, 07/15-20/2007, International Workshop on Complex Systems and Networks, and 1st Transilvanian Physics Summer School, sponsor University of Notre Dame and UNESCO;
* "The probabilistic structure of tributaries in river networks: Casimir effect analogy, biological and ecological implications", accepted poster, 07/02-06/2007, Statphys23-IUPAP Satellite Conference "Complex Networks, from Biology to Information Technology", Pula, Cagliari, Italy.
* Half UniPd-Regional Fellowship 2005/2006 for right duration studies (Laurea Magistralis) in two years (2004-2006)
* University of California EAP-University of Padova fellowship suitability for the Academic Year 2006/2007;
* Suitability for a Socrates-Erasmus Fellowship by EU for the academic year 2006/2007, at the TU Delft - IHE UNESCO Water Resources Center -, supervisor Prof. A. Defina;
* Regional fellowship by the University of Padova, A.A. 2005/2006;
* Suitability for a Socrates-Erasmus Fellowship by EU for the academic year 2005/2006, at the University of Wales - Swansea - Civil & Computational Engineering Centre (UK RAE 5*), supervisor Prof. L. Simoni;
* B.S.’s degree award consists in half of the Regional Fellowship 2003/2004, with the motivation of worthy undergraduate studies and their right duration, December 2004;
* Regional Fellowship by the University of Padova, A.A. 2004/2005, 2003/2004;
* Fellowship by Italian Ministry of Internals, academic year 2002/2003;
* Suitability for the University Regional Fellowship in academic years 2001/02, 2002/03 (tuition exempt only).
* University of California EAP-University of Padova fellowship suitability for the Academic Year 2006/2007;
* Suitability for a Socrates-Erasmus Fellowship by EU for the academic year 2006/2007, at the TU Delft - IHE UNESCO Water Resources Center -, supervisor Prof. A. Defina;
* Regional fellowship by the University of Padova, A.A. 2005/2006;
* Suitability for a Socrates-Erasmus Fellowship by EU for the academic year 2005/2006, at the University of Wales - Swansea - Civil & Computational Engineering Centre (UK RAE 5*), supervisor Prof. L. Simoni;
* B.S.’s degree award consists in half of the Regional Fellowship 2003/2004, with the motivation of worthy undergraduate studies and their right duration, December 2004;
* Regional Fellowship by the University of Padova, A.A. 2004/2005, 2003/2004;
* Fellowship by Italian Ministry of Internals, academic year 2002/2003;
* Suitability for the University Regional Fellowship in academic years 2001/02, 2002/03 (tuition exempt only).
At present:
* Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti (IVSLA) Summer School Environmental Dynamics (SSED) Series 2007-2009;
* International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS);
* HydroWeb, International Association for Environmental Hydrology;
* Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC), ClimatePrediction Project, team: Massachussets Institute of Tecnology (see my profile);
* "Debate Science" member, see my post on Hydrology!;
* COSIS (Copernicus Online Service + Information System) member
* Center for Ecoliteracy (directed by Fritjof Capra), Berkeley, California;
* European Space Agency (ESA) Earth Observation Network Group (see my page and my project);
* MapWindow GIS Open Source Team, a collaboration with Utah State University, Idaho State University, NOAA, INL, et al.;
* JGrass (developed by HydroloGIS & DICA, University of Trento) Users Network (see http://www.frappr.com/jgrass);
* Daisyworld & Beyond Research Network (Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics, U. Sussex, UK, see http://www.cogs.susx.ac.uk/daisyworld/members.html);
* INFORM srl Development Group, Environmental Software and SIT/GIS technologies, Padova (www.informsrl.it, Dr. E. Del Sole Group);
* Frappr! Users Network (in JGrass & FreePOPs networks, see my profile).
I am at the Doctoral Students Office, next to the "Dino Tonini" International Center for Hydrology, at IMAGE Dept., Via Loredan 20 - I 35131, Padova, Italy (see on Google Maps, click on the map! --->
...the room where I work, nicely called the "Aquarium" ;))* phone number at IMAGE Dept.: 0039 049 827 5445 (I am with Dr. G. Botter, E. Belluco, A. Frascati, L. Nicotina)
* fax number at IMAGE Dept.: 0039 049 827 5446
* mobile phone: 0039 349 1750320
* Princeton University e-mail (preferred!): mconvert (at) Princeton (dot) EDU (I will be there from 01/06 to 12/15/2008; look for my contacts on "search people" directory service of Princeton University web-site!)
* IMAGE Dept. e-mail (preferred too!): convertino (at) idra (dot) unipd (dot) it (see my data on IMAGE website here and here)
* UniPd academic e-mail: matteo (dot) convertino (at) unipd (dot) it (search my name on the address book of University of Padova)
* "informal" e-mail: matconv (dot) uni (at) gmail (dot) com (feel free to contact me! This way to write my e-mail addresses would be an antispam..)
*
Skype username-contact: convertino.matteo* personal web page: http://matconv.spaces.msn.com (with photos of my adventures, friends & family, miscellaneous things..), and very recently I have started to add my public photos' galleries with the best Google-Picasa service, so see even my wonderful life moments here on my GooglePicasa galleries, ENJOY!
* My Blog - News coming soon!!! For now you can see of few of my Ph.D. reserach steps here! (I have not so much time to update the site... understand me ;)!)
*
" The scientist does not study nature because it is useful;
he studies
it because he delights in it, and he delights in it because it is
beautiful. If nature were not beautiful, it would not be worth knowing,
and if nature were not worth knowing, life would not be worth living "
Henri Poincaré.
* " The reverse side also has a reverse side " Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, CA.
* " The world appears coloured only if in our minds there are colours " Anonimous.
* “ They are beautiful laws, laws that are fulfilling in a wonderful manner. The beauty of finding unity in an infinite variety of things is what science is all about ” I.R. Iturbe (Princeton E-Quad News interview)
* " Nature is Physics in action " Anonimous.
* " As we could named Ocean the Earth we should called Water the Life; nothing exist and can be done without water, probably it's really true that the H2O molecule is the essence of everything " Anonimous.
* " Imagination is more important than knowledge " Einstein, Albert.
* " Every day is a good day. You need rain, you need sun, wind to blow things around. Every day is a good day " Slow Turtle, supreme medicine man of the Mashpee Wanpanoag Indians.
* " ..la Natura sembra voler nascondere agli uomini le sue vere bellezze, alle quali essi sono troppo insensibili; giacchè le sfigurano tosto che vi possono mettere mano. Essa fugge i luoghi frequentati: le cime de' monti, il fondo delle foreste e l'isole deserte sono le scene ove essa spiega i suoi più delittuousi incanti. Coloro che l'amano, e non possono raggiungerla così lunghi, sono ridotti a violentarla, ed a costringerla in qualche modo ad abitare con loro, e tutto questo non si può fare senza qualche illusione." Rousseau, J.J., La Nouvelle Heloïse.
↑ Academic Multimedia Materials and Others:
* Videos of Prof. John Harte's four lectures, form UC Berkeley, at the Galileian School for Advanced Studies, Padova (Physics Dept.), -> you can see me as student, one of my advisor Prof. A. Maritan, and some other people and classmates.
* See some photos (it's a pdf file) of the M.Sc. course "Hydraulic Controls and Measures" (Academic Year 2005/2006) taken at IMAGE Dept. Hydraulic Laboratory by Prof. Andrea Defina.
* See the petition made by ADI (Italian PhD students and PhD doctors Association) to the Italian Government for increasing PhD fellowships and fundings for Research!!! There are a lot of subscriptions, so if you believe in what you are done SUBSCRIBE yourself too!
* Stanford University Climate Change Campaign, subscribe to this petition! (...in hope to preserve Nature!)
* " The reverse side also has a reverse side " Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, CA.
* " The world appears coloured only if in our minds there are colours " Anonimous.
* “ They are beautiful laws, laws that are fulfilling in a wonderful manner. The beauty of finding unity in an infinite variety of things is what science is all about ” I.R. Iturbe (Princeton E-Quad News interview)
* " Nature is Physics in action " Anonimous.
* " As we could named Ocean the Earth we should called Water the Life; nothing exist and can be done without water, probably it's really true that the H2O molecule is the essence of everything " Anonimous.
* " Imagination is more important than knowledge " Einstein, Albert.
* " Every day is a good day. You need rain, you need sun, wind to blow things around. Every day is a good day " Slow Turtle, supreme medicine man of the Mashpee Wanpanoag Indians.
* " ..la Natura sembra voler nascondere agli uomini le sue vere bellezze, alle quali essi sono troppo insensibili; giacchè le sfigurano tosto che vi possono mettere mano. Essa fugge i luoghi frequentati: le cime de' monti, il fondo delle foreste e l'isole deserte sono le scene ove essa spiega i suoi più delittuousi incanti. Coloro che l'amano, e non possono raggiungerla così lunghi, sono ridotti a violentarla, ed a costringerla in qualche modo ad abitare con loro, e tutto questo non si può fare senza qualche illusione." Rousseau, J.J., La Nouvelle Heloïse.
↑ Academic Multimedia Materials and Others:
* Videos of Prof. John Harte's four lectures, form UC Berkeley, at the Galileian School for Advanced Studies, Padova (Physics Dept.), -> you can see me as student, one of my advisor Prof. A. Maritan, and some other people and classmates.
* See some photos (it's a pdf file) of the M.Sc. course "Hydraulic Controls and Measures" (Academic Year 2005/2006) taken at IMAGE Dept. Hydraulic Laboratory by Prof. Andrea Defina.
* See the petition made by ADI (Italian PhD students and PhD doctors Association) to the Italian Government for increasing PhD fellowships and fundings for Research!!! There are a lot of subscriptions, so if you believe in what you are done SUBSCRIBE yourself too!
* Stanford University Climate Change Campaign, subscribe to this petition! (...in hope to preserve Nature!)
Notice: all links to people have been agreed with their owners before they have been published online.
See me again and support will be appreciate, thanks!
Updated on 09/25/2007, Copyright Matteo Convertino
See me again and support will be appreciate, thanks!
Updated on 09/25/2007, Copyright Matteo Convertino
