1. RESEARCH ACTIVITIES IN THE FIRST TWO CYCLES OF ITALIAN BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY STUDIES A. Comparetti, P. Febo Università di Palermo, Dipartimento I.T.A.F. Viale delle Scienze, 90128, Palermo, Italy G. Scarascia Mugnozza Università di Bari, Dipartimento PRO.GE.S.A. Via Amendola, 165, 70126, Bari, Italy

2. Implementation of Bologna process in Italy In Italy, according to the D.M. (Law of the Ministry of Instruction, University and Research) n. 509 of the 3 rd November 1999, Universities offer :  3-year 1 st cycle degree study programmes (“Laurea”);  2-year 2 nd cycle degree study programmes (“Laurea Specialistica” or Specialised Degree);  3 rd cycle degrees (“Dottorato di Ricerca”). With the 1 st cycle degree study programme the students are awarded 180 University credits (CFU) and with the 2 nd cycle degree 120 credits; therefore, a total of 300 credits are assigned in 5 years (3+2). After the 1 st or 2 nd cycle degree study programmes, Universities can organise 1 or 2-year degree study programmes (“Master”), for limited number of students, paying fees for enrollment. This law on the University structure is implemented from the academic year 2000-2001.

3. Updating of 3+2 University study programmes The important change which was made during the implementation of the Bologna process in Italy was the updating of 3+2 year University study programmes. The D.M. (Law) n. 270 of the 22 nd October 2004 established new degree study programmes, constituted by :  a methodological-educational and job-oriented 3-year 1 st cycle study programme (180 CFU), for achieving the degree called “Laurea”;  a 2-year 2 nd cycle study programme (120 CFU), for achieving the degree called “Laurea Magistrale”. In Italy the above law has been implemented by most Universities, which designed new degree study programmes, approved by the Ministry of Education, University and Research, in order to be offered from the academic year 2008- 2009. According to the D.M. of the 16 th March 2007 of the Ministry of Education, University and Research, in order to be accredited, the 3-year study programmes had to include a maximum of 20 courses, and the 2-year study programmes had to include a maximum of 12 courses.

4. Organisation of the 3 rd cycle studies in Italy In Italy the organisation of the 3 rd cycle studies is based on : The current schemes of the 3 rd cycle studies in Agricultural Engineering are based on individual and PhD board supervision and tutoring, and are constituted by doctoral courses plus individual work research. The minimum duration of PhD programmes is 3 years and a minimum number of 3 graduates is admitted to attend each PhD programme.  Law n. 210 of the 3 rd July 1998;  D.M. (Law) n. 224 of the 30 th April 2009.

5. Guidelines of the Italian government for University According to the Letter n. 160 of the 4 th September 2009 of the Ministry of Education, University and Research (Guidelines of the Italian government for University), the following objectives have to be pursued :  to promote the free mobility of students;  to ensure that Universities offer high quality degree study programmes, in conformity with Bologna Declaration and Lisbon Agenda;  to define the minimum number of students necessary for opening a new degree study programme;  to fix a maximum number of curricula for each degree study programme.

6. From Agricultural Engineering to Agricultural, Forestry and Biosystems Engineering In Italy, during the last 9 th Conference of the Italian Association of Agricultural Engineering (AIIA), held in Ischia island, near Naples, from the 12 th to the 16 th of September 2009, the Agricultural Engineering scientific and teaching sector was re- modulated and updated into the new sector “Agricultural, Forestry and Biosystems Engineering”, including also research and teaching subjects of Biosystems Engineering. The new scientific and teaching sector was sent to the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, in order to be evaluated, eventually modified and divulgated. Therefore, until now in Italy no study programme in Biosystems Engineering exists.

7. Research related activities in the 1 st cycle in Italy In the Italian Agricultural Engineering teaching institutions the students of the 1 st cycle can carry out research activities, through their thesis work, and/or their coursework project. In this case they use the Department facilities, are insured and their work is supervised by professors or researchers. The 1 st cycle students must have good or at least fair theoretical background, in order to pursue research work. In Italy the access to research positions (private or public) for 1 st cycle graduates is possible but rare, only as laboratory technicians or collaborators of researchers. Some elements of research activities can be included in 1 st cycle teaching activities, in the contents of the courses of the 3 rd year or in the practical training, carried out in research laboratories.

8. Research related activities in the 2 nd cycle in Italy - 1/2 In Italy the 2 nd cycle is professional and, partly, research oriented. The students can carry out research activities, through their thesis work, if they prefer a research thesis rather than an essay (dealing with research papers), and/or coursework project. In this case they use the Department facilities, are insured and their work is supervised by professors or researchers. The research activities of the 2 nd cycle are not funded, as well as those of the 1 st cycle. A high amount of elements of research approach is incorporated in 2 nd cycle teaching activities, in the contents of courses/laboratories. The industries can be involved in the research activities of the 2 nd cycle, only offering practical training of students at their own facilities.

9. Research related activities in the 2 nd cycle in Italy - 2/2 Most of the 3 rd cycle students, who are generally provided with a scholarship, are supervised by professors or researchers. The 3 rd cycle students are interested to pursue research activities, also because they look for financial support and hope to get a permanent or contract job position at the University. However, sometimes pursuing a 3 rd cycle study programme is not attractive for students, even if funding is available, because they consider it too time consuming and are interested in other more remunerative job positions. In Italy the access to research positions (private or public) for the 2 nd cycle graduates is possible and a little more common than for the 1 st cycle graduates.

10. Rare knowledge in Biosystems Engineering The topics of rare and disappearing knowledge in Biosystems Engineering, which can be considered not only of Italian but also of European interest, are :  historical farm or old rural buildings;  old water/wind mills, oil mills, etc.;  agritourism or rural tourism;  agricultural museums;  old agricultural machines and tools, mill stones, olive presses, etc. Other rare and disappearing topics in Biosystems Engineering are : old food processing equipment and buildings; agricultural tools for developing countries (e.g. traditional ploughs); old rural land infrastructures (e.g. channels and irrigation systems, bridges, fences, wells, dry-stone walls, roads, terraces for sloping land cultivation, fountains); man or animal powered mechanisms.

11. Historical farm or old rural buldings : “masseria”of 16 th -18 th century, near Bari (Apulia)

12. Historical farm or old rural buldings : “trulli” of the 18 th century, near Bari (Apulia)

13. Agritourism or rural tourism : farm resort, near Florence (Tuscany)

14. Agricultural museums : olive press, near Siracusa (Sicily)

15. Old agricultural machines and tools : FIAT 700B tractor (1931-1942)

16. Italian research groups working on rare knowledge In Italy there are research groups working on rare knowledge in the field of Agricultural Engineering, such as, for example, the following ones, dealing with the research topics of historical farm or old rural buildings and farm machinery museums :  Italian Association for the Comprehensive Recovery of Agricultural Areas and Places - R.U.R.A.L.I.A., at the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Udine (e.g. P. Bonfanti);  Department Man and Territory, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Perugia (e.g. V.G. Mennella, M.E. Menconi);  Department of Agro-Forestry and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, Faculty of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria (e.g. S. Di Fazio);  Department of Agricultural Economics and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Bologna (e.g. A. Guarnieri, G. Molari).

17. Actions for preserving the rare knowledge in Biosystems Engineering in Europe Possible actions for preserving the rare knowledge in Biosystems Engineering in Europe can be the following ones :  definition of criteria for the reuse and the restoration of old rural buildings;  recovery of the traditional building materials (e.g. wood, stone, bricks);  study of the function of old rural buildings, in order to integrate them with the landscape and the agricultural and social activities of the surrounding territory;  recovery and restoration of old agricultural machines and tools;  setting up of museums for preserving old agricultural machines and tools.

18. Activities for preserving the rare knowledge in Biosystems Engineering in Europe within the ERABEE thematic network Possible activities for preserving the rare knowledge in Biosystems Engineering in Europe, within the ERABEE thematic network, can be the following ones :  to promote studies concerning with the conservation, the recovery, the valorisation and the reuse of old agricultural machines and tools, old rural buildings and the surrounding agricultural landscape;  to organise conferences and study travels, and publish papers, for promoting the knowledge and the dissemination of the recovery of old rural buildings, old agricultural machines and tools and the surrounding agricultural landscape;  to constitute a documentation centre for the research concerning with farm machinery museums and old rural buildings.

19. Thank you ! Grazie ! Gracias ! Merci ! Danke ! Dekuji ! Tak ! Bedankt ! Aitah ! Kiitos ! Efrarixto ! Aciu ! Takk ! Dziekuje ! Obrigado ! Multumesc ! D’akujem ! Tack ! Palermo University, Steri Palace (Sicily) ‏ Bari University, Ateneo Palace (Apulia) ‏