We are pleased to announce the successful defense of the Master’s thesis by Pierpaolo Di Felice, who graduated in Aerospace Engineering (Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Ingegneria Aerospaziale) in 2023. The thesis was supervised by Prof. Daniela Tordella and conducted within the framework of the EU H2020 MSCA ITN ETN COMPLETE project.

The thesis, titled:

“Infield mini radio-probes measurements of physical fluctuations inside warm clouds and environmental air”

focuses on advancing our understanding of cloud microphysics and atmospheric turbulence, two areas critical to improving predictive weather and climate models. Clouds play a vital role in the Earth’s water cycle and energy balance, yet the detailed interactions between turbulence, droplet dynamics, and cloud formation remain a significant open question in atmospheric science.

To address the limitations of traditional measurement methods—especially at small scales—Pierpaolo’s work contributes to the development and testing of innovative miniaturized, biodegradable radio-probes. These devices are designed to float along isopycnic surfaces, transmitting real-time data on temperature, humidity, pressure, position, velocity, and acceleration as they move with the air mass in a truly Lagrangian fashion.

The project involved the full design, assembly, and deployment process of these probes. A highlight of the thesis is the presentation of a field experiment in the Aosta Valley, where ten probes were released in an unconstrained flight, successfully collecting valuable data inside warm cloud environments.

Pierpaolo’s research not only provides new insight into the turbulent structure of clouds but also supports the ongoing development of experimental platforms within the COMPLETE project, contributing to the broader European effort to refine atmospheric modeling and improve environmental forecasting tools.

We congratulate Pierpaolo Di Felice on his achievement and commend him for his contribution to this cutting-edge area of research in aerospace and atmospheric sciences.

For more details, see tesi.pdf