With determination and tenacity, Matteo is amongst the top three in Europe

(Matteo, second from the left)

When he obtained his high school diploma from the scientific school in Olgiate Comasco, Matteo Rodighiero had a dream: to become an installer in the energy sector. Now, with a degree from the Polytechnic of Milan, he works in a design studio, who not only hired him, but who also supported him in his “European venture”.

Matteo, a young man from Malnate, has come 2nd in the European competition, Rehva_studenti 2018, organised by the European Federation, which brings together Italian organisations linked to air-conditioning, heating and refrigeration (AICARR). “My classmate, Matteo Naldi, and I worked for seven months, day and night, on our bachelor thesis, which had been assigned to us by Professor Stefano De Antonellis,” Matteo explained. “It took fourteen hours a day to produce the thesis, which included an experimental and numerical analysis. The title of the thesis was ‘Analisi sperimentale e numerica di un Sistema di raffreddamento evaporato indiretto: analisi dei materiali e della geometria’ (“Experimental and numerical analysis of an indirect, evaporative cooling system: analysis of materials and geometry”), in which we added a numerical model to the experimental part. We were actually working on something that had been finished, the result of a partnership between the Polytechnic of Milan and a firm based in Rescaldina, Recuperator S.p.A. Our job was to study the materials and the geometry of some heat exchangers used in the field of cooling technology, by vaporising water within an air current, to decrease the temperature. Our application was intended, above all, for data centre cooling systems.

Once they had discussed their thesis and obtained their degrees, the two recently qualified engineers presented their work to the Italian competition on energy efficiency, organised by AICARR. “We competed against another thirty projects and were selected among a shortlist of 4. Our work was well-received, because of its innovative aspect, which was well-documented in the complexity of the numerical experimental part. Then, out of the blue, we were informed that our thesis was the one chosen to represent Italy at a European level. And last Monday, we received the final satisfaction: we had come 2nd, after Finland.”

The two engineers were ecstatic to see their dreams come true, in just a few months, and to receive the well-deserved acknowledgement for a job carried out with determination and tenacity. “It is nice to see our efforts acknowledged; it means that when you give it all and truly believe in your work, the results are bound to come, and they bring with them great satisfaction.” An important partner in their European success was the design studio Tekne, who not only encouraged them to participate, but also provided financial support in their journey to Brussels. “Now, we both work this studio, and we feel very satisfied with the results we’ve achieved. I was lucky; I had a family behind me who supported me, and friends I could share this experience with. I believe this success is also the result of the formal training I received at the Polytechnic of Milan, a most prestigious college.”