The Technical and Technological Institute “G. and M. Montani” is the oldest technical school in Italy, founded in 1854 in Fermo (FM). It includes six departments: Agriculture, food and agroindustry; Chemistry, materials and biotechnology; Electronics and electrical engineering; IT and telecommunications; Mechanics, mechatronics and energy; Transportation and logistics.
The Institute is provided with state-of-the-art technology laboratories. They serve the enquiry-based and problem solving “Montani Method“. Students are presented with real and existing problems to solve. They deepen their knowledge by building brilliant and innovative responses grow in our educating community. For this reason, Montani is a leading school on the national Service Learning project. The Institute’s “identity card” is available at the following link here.
Within the Department of Chemistry, Montani is committed to the principles of Green Chemistry in various fields:
- production of bioplastics from food waste
- study of microplastic pollution at the molecular level
- chemistry of antioxidants and nutraceuticals
- study of shelf life and innovative food packaging solution
- recovery of precious metals from electrical and electronic waste for recycling
- drug analysis in unconventional matrices, such as banknotes and wastewater molecular fingerprint of volatile molecules and creating a sort of “aromateca – scent data-based”.
This planning was made possible thanks to a strong inclination for research by the teaching staff and the presence of excellent tools used by students in CLIL mode (using English as the main teaching language). The Department of Chemistry was awarded a gold medal on a global level in 2019 at the 39th Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition (Environmental Science and Engineering), representing Italy in Beijing, China. Nationally, there are more than fifteen awards in various competitions, broadly reported on national TV news and documentary series such as Ulisse.
Since 2012 the Department of Chemistry has also been engaged in a pioneering and highly appreciated activity of dramatising chemistry in theatre plays and nationwide events, telling stories, celebrating our culture, and creating synaesthesia through science, art, music, poetry, history and philosophy.