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Passing of Prof. Renato Funiciello
From: Guido Giordano <giordano@xxxxxxxxxxx>
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Dear colleagues,
We sadly inform you that last August 14, Prof. Renato Funiciello passed away at the age of 70. Renato was an eclectic scientist who contributed immensely to the Italian and the International scientific community. He served many years as full professor of structural geology at University of Roma Tre, but his interests spanned the entire field of geology. He loved volcanoes and researched many aspects, ranging from hazards to tuffs as building stones. One of his first scientific projects was the study of lunar samples from the Apollo missions to the Earth’s Moon. He was vice-president of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica, and prompted the Italian participation in studies of Antarctica. In the 1980's and 1990's Renato promoted and participated in studies of volcanic geothermal areas of central Italy, co-writing some of the most important summaries of Italian volcanism. Many volcanologists will remember him leading the 1985 IAVCEI Explosive Volcanism group field excursion through the Alban Hills. During the last several decades he realized the importance of urban geology, developing a multidisciplinary approach for city planning and hazard studies. He loved Roma and its volcanoes, the Colli Albani and the Sabatini volcanoes—so much so that he promoted and coordinated two very complete monographs on the geology of Rome and the geological maps of the entire Roma Municipality and of the Colli Albani volcano. Renato hasn't seen his last work to be published, which is the forthcoming monograph on the Colli Albani (Alban Hills). The new book also contains descriptions of one of his most exciting discoveries, i.e. the activity of the Albano maar during pre-historical and early Roman times. Anyone who met him knows of his enthusiasm and great humanity. He was a real optimist, who devoted a lot to the students, being a mentor for many of them and creating a new Geology department within the University of Rome. He also believed that geology could actively contribute to a better world, a very sound message for the future.
Guido Giordano
Grant Heiken
Grant Heiken
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