Utah’s Italian scientific community has a new meeting point. The launch of a local chapter of ISSNAF – Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation – brought together nearly 40 participants, strengthening connections among researchers, academics, and Italy’s diplomatic network.
Massimo Carnelos, Italy’s consul general in San Francisco, attended the inauguration, returning to the Salt Lake City area to welcome the initiative. He recognized the contributions of Elisa Balzano, Alessandro Zanazzi, and Luisa Stefania Melis, alongside the support of Italy’s honorary consul in Utah, Nick Fuoco.
The gathering highlighted a valuable resource: the dozens of Italian scientists and scholars whose work contributes to Utah’s academic and research community. Bringing them into closer contact creates opportunities to exchange expertise, develop professional relationships, and explore collaboration across institutions.
The launch also follows groundwork acknowledged during Carnelos’s February 2026 mission to Utah, when the consulate recognized Italian scientists working to establish the chapter. That visit explored cooperation in fields including biotechnology, life sciences, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing.
ISSNAF’s broader mission provides a framework for this local effort. Its chapters organize educational and networking activities, while the foundation supports younger researchers through mentoring and opportunities for research and training in North America.
For Utah, the new chapter offers a platform to make Italian expertise more visible and accessible. For Italy, it adds another connection with professionals contributing to American innovation.
The inauguration marks an encouraging beginning – a community coming together around shared knowledge, professional ambition, and the possibility of building lasting scientific relationships between two countries.
