Presentation

The Department of Soil Defense was created with the University of Calabria in 1972. Since then, its mission was to face the widespread and significant natural risks affecting the waters, the slopes and the subsoil of the region.
In 1993 the Department was entitled to Prof. Vincenzo Marone, passed away in 1992, formerly head of the structure (1972 to 1976 and 1978 to 1984).
The faculty is currently constituted by 17 Full Professors, 5 Associate Professors, 12 Research Associates. It is one of the most numerous teaching staff in the School of Engineering and the University itself. The technical and administrative staff consists of a 17 units personnel.
The Department is oriented to advanced experimental and analytical research, developed through 16 laboratories.
The effort to research activity is testified by the presence of faculty members, Ph.D. students, and Research Assistants in many national research projects, in international working groups, and the yearly publication of more than one hundred scientific papers.
The teaching support provided by the faculty members is constituted by more than 60 courses, at UniCal and elsewhere, mainly attended by undergraduate and graduate students of Environmental, Civil, Construction and Mechanical Engineering.
The courses and faculty members pertain to the disciplines of Hydraulics, Maritime, Sanitary and Getechnical Engineering, Engineering Geology and Forest Management.
The Department takes part to three Doctoral programs. Prof. Paolo Veltri coordinates that of Environmental Hydraulic Engineering, shared with the Technical University of Bari, and the University of Basilicata at Potenza. Prof. Pasquale Versace in 2004 organised a Master Program in the Mathematical Modelling of Hydro-Geological Disasters.

Yearly, Prof. Giuseppe Frega manages an advanced professional course in Hydro-Geological Territorial Protection and, since 1980, an advanced scientific course in Techniques against pollution. In the very last years, the Department has been organising international short courses on Coastal Engineering, Hydrology and Urban Drainage.
The research activity committed by the public authority and private companies is significant. Large part of the yearly budget, about 1 M€, is provided by local administration and national boards for the defense against environmental risks, such as the Civil Protection.

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