• De Gennaro: "The initiative demonstrates Leonardo's commitment to the formation of a scientific culture among young people to face the challenges of the third millennium. The company pursues its objective through the promotion of the STEM disciplines, thus contributing to the achievement of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals ".
• Workshops and educational areas on the key theme of the Festival: "The causes of things", offered free to young and very young people.
• Professor Amalia Ercoli Finzi, from the Polytechnic of Milan, will tell students about her research experiences of major space projects: from the "conquest" of Mars to pioneering studies on gravitational waves.​

Scientists, philosophers, innovators, journalists, researchers and artists will take part in the National Geographic Festival of Sciences that will be held in Rome from 16 to 22 April. Leonardo, a leading high-tech company, will participate as an educational partner of workshops and educational areas for young and very young people.

Gianni De Gennaro, President of Leonardo, said, “The initiative demonstrates Leonardo's commitment to the formation of a scientific culture among young people through the creation of "scientific citizenship" as a fundamental element of facing the challenges of the third millennium. “Leonardo - emphasises De Gennaro - pursues its objective through the promotion of the STEM disciplines, thus contributing to the achievement of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the UN in the 2030 Agenda, promoting quality education, innovation and responsible and sustainable industrialisation.”

Leonardo's commitment in this area has recently materialized in the opening of the i.Lab Mathematica, in partnership with the Museum of Science and Technology of Milan, participation in the educational workshops of the exhibition “Gravity. Imagining the Universe after Einstein” at the MAXXI, the National Museum of the 21st Century Arts in Rome.

Throughout the festival, thanks to Leonardo's support, young visitors can freely participate in the workshops and activities in the dedicated areas, with in-depth analysis of the central theme of the event: "the causes of things, the intricate network of causal relationships that dominate human activities". For example, theories on the origin of earthquakes will be illustrated through a seismic station and on gravitational waves, thanks to the use of an interferometer and a gravitational "carpet". The theory behind weather forecasts and extreme events, a laboratory dedicated to the study of matter, along with many other activities will be presented, but always with the cause-effect relationship in mind. The aim is to bring young and very young people together to stimulate their curiosity, involving them and offering them the opportunity for direct contact with the world of research and technology.

Furthermore, Leonardo will highlight to the Festival its international know-how and the advanced technologies it possesses from its research and innovation projects. Also taking part in the event will be Professor Amalia Ercoli Finzi from the Milan Polytechnic who, with Marco Molina, CTO of Leonardo’s Space business, will meet students on 20 April to discuss the Pinguini laboratory on Mars. It will be an opportunity to discuss the research activities of a major international space mission, with a focus on the "conquest" of Mars, with ExoMars, and on the technologies to capture elusive gravitational waves, one of the major current challenges of astrophysics.