Franco Siccardi
The 2002 Sergey Soloviev Medal is awarded to Franco Siccardi for his distinguished and pioneering work in the understanding, prediction and mitigation of natural hazards, and his efforts to promote their interdisciplinary approach.
Franco Siccardi has been a full Professor in Civil Engineering at the University of Genoa since 1980, and since 1985 he has been Head of Research for the Evaluation of Hydraulic-Geological Risk and Zoning: Intervention Strategies for the Mitigation of the Effects of Extreme Events in the Italian National Research Councils Group for the Prevention of Hydro-Geological Disasters. He has been very active in formulating, promoting, and carrying out programs for the assessment and mitigation of geo-hydrological hazards in complex environments, bringing together scientists, technicians, administrators and decision makers. He has been the Advisor to the Italian Secretary of State for Civil Protection, and to the Director of the Italian University for Foreigners as Chief of the Perugia Water Resources Research and Documentation Center. With his work and numerous publications he has demonstrated the great importance of an interdisciplinary approach and of international cooperation in studying and solving natural hazards problems. His enthusiasm, energy, and broad perspective have led to such accomplishments as the Interdisciplinary Working Group on Natural Hazards of the European Geophysical Society, of which he was Chairmen from 1995 to 2000, the Plinius Conference on Mediterranean Storms, and participation on committees for the World Meteorological Organization, the European Economic Commission, TECHWARE Europe, and the International Association of Hydrological Sciences Committee on Remote Sensing and Data Transmission.
Franco Siccardi began his research activity in 1966 on fluid mechanics and cavitation processes, relating these to hydroelectrical engineering. His scientific production since 1980 encompasses a wider field of interest in understanding, predicting and mitigating natural hazards, principally floods. He has embraced such techniques as multi-sensor storm tracking and rain assessment and modeling to help him prevent losses from flooding. He is the author or co-author of more than 160 papers and reports. Most important, his research has been devoted not only to the improvement of the knowledge of hydrology, but also to the assessment and mitigation of hazards in relation to environmental protection and the integrity of human life and socio-economic systems.