On the occasion of the book presentation – hosted for the first time in Switzerland and promoted by the Design for Science Sector of the Institute of Design (Department of Environment Constructions and Design SUPSI) – Professor Massimiano Bucchi invites us to look beyond the superficial narrative of unstoppable progress. Through stories that are concrete and often winding – from low-cost flights to the zipper and air conditioning – the author reveals how ideas are born, fail, and eventually succeed.

Adding further depth to the event, Professor Giulio Zaccarelli, Director of the Institute of Design, will engage in a conversation with the author, offering a unique perspective on the unexpected backstories of the technologies that have shaped our lives and on how to wisely navigate the challenges of the present.

Massimiano Bucchi is Full Professor of Science, Technology and Society at the University of Trento, where he also directs the international Master’s program in Communication of Science and Innovation (SCICOMM). He has been a visiting professor in Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania. He is the author of essays published in international journals such as Nature, Science, and PLOS ONE, and of around ten books published in more than twenty countries. Among his most recent works are Come vincere un Nobel. L’immagine pubblica della scienza e il suo premio più famoso (Einaudi, 2017), Sbagliare da professionisti. Storie di errori e fallimenti memorabili (Rizzoli, 2018), Io e Tech. Piccoli esercizi di tecnologia (Bompiani, 2020), Scienza e cucina. Il pollo di Newton e altri incontri tra saperi e sapori (Interlinea, 2023), Confidenze digitali. Vizi e virtù dell’innovazione tecnologica (il Mulino, 2023) and Idee che cambiano il mondo. Come nasce e si sviluppa l’innovazione (Bollati Boringhieri, 2025).

The book presentation will take place on Monday, March 23, 2026 at 17:00 in the Materioteca, on the 1st floor of the SUPSI Campus of the Department of Environment Construction sand Design (via Flora Ruchat-Roncati 15, Mendrisio). Event in Italian. Free admission.