Pirelli Relativity Challenge Awarded
PIRELLI: AWARDED 5-MINUTE MULTIMEDIA ANIMATION EXPLAINING EINSTEIN'S RELATIVITY
The Pirelli Relativity Challenge awarding ceremony took place in Venice today. The prize was won by a Canadian interactive animation, explaining the complex theory of special relativity. More than 250 multimedia submissions coming from 40 different countries participated
Venice, 1 December 2005 - The awarding ceremony of Pirelli Relativity Challenge (www.pirelliaward.com/einstein.html), the international contest organised by the Pirelli Group for the World Year of Physics, was held in Venice today at the " Telecom Italia Future Centre" . This prize was reserved to multimedia works explaining Albert Einstein 's special relativity theory in a simple way and in up to 5 minutes.
Among others, Piergiorgio Odifreddi, mathematician, writer and scientific communicator, Marco Tronchetti Provera, Chairman of the Pirelli Group, Carlo Massarini, tv presenter and journalist specialised in new technologies, attended this ceremony.
The " challenge" of Pirelli was taken by about 250 participants from more than 40 countries, that made their best, to explain the centenary theory of the German physicist, helped by digital technologies. After a century, these works proved how, the scientific legacy of Albert Einstein, is still alive throughout the world. More than 40 among prestigious international universities and Physics institutes participated. Finalists were evaluated by a jury made up by Piergiorgio Odifreddi, Konrad Osterwalder, Director of Zurich Technological University, Fabio Pistella, President of CNR (Italian National Research Council), the sociologist of science Massimiano Bucchi and by the student Maria Nicolaci .
The prize worth 25,000 euros was given to the Canadian contestant Kiran Sachdev, for his work named " Al's relativistic Adventures" an interactive multimedia animation, in which little Al reveals, in only five minutes, the secrets of the famous theory of Albert Einstein to spectators who even receive a certification.
Besides, 5 other special prizes worth 50,000 euros were handed, thanks to Telecom Italia 's sponsorship: the winners are Alan Boyle and Clay Frost from MSNBC (USA), the Institute of Physics and Fulcrum TV (UK), Enrico Pizza (Italy), Ivn Jimnez and Ins Bonet (Istituto de Astrofsica of Canaries, Spain) and Ammu Irvinti, Ngoc Mai Tran, Viet Anh Nguyen Dang, Dallit Lou Menezes (USA).
Marco Tronchetti Provera said: " Pirelli Relativity Challenge was aimed at stimulating the scientific world and science lovers, to communicate through new technologies the important and complex theory of Einstein: I'm happy that it was taken enthusiastically. This is the way the Pirelli Group, that has always been on the front line for science innovation and development, chose to celebrate the World Year of Physics. At the same time, we wanted to go towards the common desire to know the great phases of human thought and scientific progress, especially among the youth. We believe that acquisition and communication of knowledge, thanks to digital technologies' contribution too, are fundamental to make our society grow" .
The Pirelli Relativity Challenge award ceremony has been webcast throughout the world in the context of the great international event of the solemn close of the World Year of Physics, organized by CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) of Geneva, and entitled " Beyond Einstein" , and which has connected today major scientific institutions, research centers, universities and Physics labs.
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