Bari’s Green Champions

“Your presence here today is important because universities must keep in contact with the real world to ensure that you do not overlook some professions that you qualify for. It is important that you are aware of the world in which you are living and keep in touch with reality to understand what to do with your future." With this opening message, the Director of the Department of Civil Engineering at the Polytechnic of Bari, Leonardo Damiani, welcomed the 40 university students to the fourth and final stage of People Power, the talent tour with Italgas addressing digital transformation and environmental sustainability.

“The department strongly believes in promoting these initiatives which place students at the centre. These initiatives help you understand your true future potential and provide you with the tools necessary to choose and learn. This is the first initiative of this kind we host,” underlined Professor Giuseppina Uva, who coordinates didactic activities for the Department of Civil Engineering.

After the training session organised by Silvia Monticelli Cuggiò (Services, Digital & Energy Efficiency, Area Sud, Italgas Reti), the university students collaborated on common tasks with the help of Cecilia Stajano, Community Coordinator for the Fondazione Mondo Digitale. Then the challenge was launched…

Dear students, today's People Power Talent Tour challenge demands you act as human resources management experts. Italgas has started a renovation process and has hired a new team of specialized engineers. How does one evaluate and enhance human capital composed of expert figures? Imagine being consultants in the HR area and having to direct an important group like Italgas through a well-structured professional project.

Here, in more detail, is the challenge:

The company asks you to develop a project that, through the use of generative artificial intelligence, can develop a plan for evaluating the performance and success of highly specialized professional figures.

Eight mixed teams took part in the creathon, a mini creative marathon, made up of students from the bachelor’s and master's degree programmes in Civil, Environmental, and Territorial Engineering at the Polytechnic of Bari.

Team Poli 5 won the challenge with a social media advertising campaign illustrating the group's strategy to develop evaluation and enhancement processes through the use of artificial intelligence for onboarding, training, well-being, optimization, and growth. Team members: Giuseppe Castrignanó (21, 3rd year bachelor’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering), Luca De Carlo (29, 1st year master's degree in Civil Engineering), Gregori Locorotondo (20, 3rd year bachelor’s degree in Engineering environmental), Samuela Palmisano (21, 3rd year bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering), Pierpaolo Spinelli (21, 3rd year bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering).

Second place went to Team Fantastici 5 for an application that uses AI for the evaluation and enhancement of employees and Team Itaca for a generative artificial intelligence platform capable of evaluating and enhancing human capital, understanding the characteristics of each person to create a more cohesive and motivated group.

Team Fantastici 5 members: Marco Colucci (22, 1st year master's degree in Civil Engineering), Matteo Dimaggio (20, 3rd year bachelor’s programme in Environmental Engineering), Fernando Matarese (23, 2nd year master's degree in Environment and Territory), Alessia Pierno (23, 2nd year master's degree in Environmental Engineering), and Daniele Zagaria (21, 3rd year bachelor’s programme in Civil Engineering).

Team Itaca members: Aldo Balducci (22, 1st year master's degree in Civil Engineering), Francesco Cupertino (21, 3rd year bachelor’s programme in Civil and Environmental Engineering), Anna Fiore (22, 1st year master's degree in Civil Engineering), Christian Montaruli (23, 2nd year master's degree in Environmental and Territorial Engineering) and Roberto Sciacovelli (20, 3rd year bachelor’s programme in Environmental Engineering).

The projects of the eight competing teams were evaluated by a jury of experts from the Polytechnic and Italgas:

• Francesco Cafaro, Associate Professor, Dicatech, Bari Polytechnic
• Sonia Delli Gatti, Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding, Italgas
• Isotta Mazza, HR People Development & Managerial Training Specialist, Italgas
• Silvia Monticelli Cuggiò, Services, Digital & Energy Efficiency Area Sud, Italgas
• Saverio Spadea, Associate Professor, Dicatech, Bari Polytechnic
• Giuseppina Uva, Ordinary Professor and Coordinator of Didactic Activities, Dicatech, Bari Polytechnic

“With today's final session, ca. 200 young students like yourselves have proposed their ideas to us. This is important because by working in a company for many years you tend to lose contact with the point of view of what university students looks for and think. Projects like this give us an idea of what you are looking for," explained Claudio Magni, Head of Development at Italgas.

PARTICIPANTS

The students who participated in the fourth challenge all come from the Polytechnic of Bari. The average age is 22. Girls were the minority, only 13 out of 41.

The students were equally distributed between bachelor's degrees (mostly civil and environmental engineering and environmental engineering) and master's degrees (especially civil engineering and environmental and land engineering).

The eight teams:

• I Videomaker
• I fantastici 5
•  M.A.R.F.F.’s team
• ITaca
• Gameboy
• Do, Das
• Poli 5
• Araca