This week, I played a classic Italian card game called Scopa (which literally translates to Broom). Players take turns playing a card to capture either a table card of the same value or several cards whose values add up to it. Clearing the table earns a “scopa” point. At the end of each round, players also earn points for collecting the most cards, the most coins, the seven of coins and the best primiera—a combination of one card from each suit, with sevens ranked highest. The first player or team to reach 11 points wins.
To mark the start of the new academic year, the university organizes a variety of events, including a career fair. I had the opportunity to attend the fair and speak with representatives from biomedical companies and organizations in Italy. One organization, Fondazione Telethon (Telethon Foundation), focuses on research into rare genetic diseases! It was interesting to learn about the different missions of these organizations and how they contribute to Milan’s research community.
