Vibrations under control: Andrea Motta wins the "Prof. Francesco Rosa" Award
Andrea Motta, 26, who earned his master's degree in Mechanical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano with a specialization in Bio-Inspired Engineering, has won the "Prof. Francesco Rosa" Thesis Award, worth 2,000 euros. For him, this recognition carries a meaning that goes beyond academic merit: while researching the literature for his thesis, he had already come across Professor Rosa's studies, which ended up becoming an integral part of his work. Discovering that a prize existed dedicated to his memory was, he says, "a very meaningful moment."
A metastructure to see the invisible more clearly
Andrea's thesis tackles a problem that is as subtle as it is crucial: low-frequency vibrations in the transfer lines of cryo-TEM microscopes, extraordinary instruments used, for example, to study the COVID-19 virus, where even minimal vibrations can compromise image resolution.
The solution Andrea designed is a lightweight passive damping metastructure, made of titanium and produced through additive manufacturing. The system exploits local resonances to dissipate vibrational energy through particle and magnetic damping. The results confirm the system's effectiveness, with good attenuation and a strong match between the numerical model and experimental tests: a solid starting point for extending the approach to other high-precision environments, from scientific instrumentation to industrial systems, where vibration control remains an open challenge.
Nature as an Engineering manual
The choice of Politecnico, Andrea says, was "natural, a matter of head and heart together": technical aptitudes developed during his school years and a passion for vehicles and aircraft made Mechanical Engineering the most logical and, at the same time, most heartfelt path. His specialization in Bio-Inspired Engineering then changed the way he looks at his profession: "it taught me to look at nature not as a backdrop, but as an engineering manual refined by millions of years of evolution." A shift in perspective, he says, that revealed an unexpected beauty in something we often take for granted.
The biggest lesson from the Politecnico? "That hard work and sacrifice pay off eventually. The ability to persevere is perhaps the most important thing this university builds in people, together with the extremely solid technical grounding that all my classmates share."
One award, two dedications
The Rosa Award's call for applications fully aligned with the pillars of Andrea's path: bio-inspired design, mechanical engineering, and additive manufacturing. But the personal value of this recognition is twofold. Andrea also wanted to dedicate his work to a special person who is no longer with him, who guided and inspired him throughout his journey. "Representing the memory of two important people through my project is something deeply moving: the most beautiful way to close this chapter."
The future: energy, electrification, impact
Looking ahead, Andrea wants to continue working with the same approach he learned during his master's: tackling complex problems with curiosity, creativity and rigor, while staying close to people. He is particularly fascinated by the energy and electrification sector, where he feels engineering can have a concrete impact on people's lives. His dream, he says, is "to contribute to something lasting: a product, a solution, a transformation that can truly make a difference."