|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Giovanni Codazza
was born in Milan in 1816, Codazza was director of the Royal Industrial Museum of Turin from 1870 to 1877.
Graduated in Engineering and Architecture at Pavia in 1837, Codazza had a long and honorable scientific carrier.
Codazza taught from 1842 Descriptive Geometry and later Science of Constructions for Machines at the Pavia University.
In 1863 the professor moved to the Superior Technical Institute (later Politecnico) of Milan to teach Technologic Physics. In 1868 Codazza accepted the appointment as a teacher of industrial Physics at the Royal Industrial Museum of Turin. His publications, over 40 works, were mainly devoted to studies of Mathematic Physics, Descriptive Geometry, Technological Physics.
In 1840 Codazza published his first treaty of organic Physics appeared in Italy, Sulla teoria della propagazione della luce omogenea nei mezzi omogenei (On the theory of propagating the homogeneous light in homogeneous means). The work was remarkably appreciated also for his contribution to the diffusion of ondulatory theories of light by Fresnel, Cullagh, Cauchy.
One certain resounding even abroad was given to Codazza's reseraches on the Faraday effect, reseaches brought forward based on the considerations made by the Italian physicist Mossotti. Original were also Codazza's works on the Descriptive Geometry and mainly Thermodynamics. In this field Codazza distinguished particularly: he was the first one to introduce in Italy theories by W. Thompson and R. Clausius. His analyses of industrial applications in the Thermodynamics, performed by Codazza, are important as well.
The scientific fame and the long experience in teaching favoured Codazza's appointment to the direction of the Royal Industrial Museum in 1870. Thanks to the new director's work, new advanced didactical addresses were started and the co-operation between Museum and the Application School for Engineers was started as well. Codazza led the Museum during heavy years, marked by the drop of students, the leaving of famous professors as Emilio Kopp and Gaetano Cantoni. To relaunch the institute Codazza actively co-operated with the reformation commission, led by
Federico Sclopis, that between 1874 and 1876, tried to redefine targets and management bodies in the Museum.
Codazza, as many men of his generation, conjugated the scientific and cultural engagement with the political commitment, actively participating to the Risorgimento movement. In 1848 he took part to the insurrectional plot in Lombardy and for short time he was one of exiled people accepted in Piedmont. In next years he co-operated to the project, which was both reformistic and of cultural renewal, carried forward by the Politecnico of Cattaneo. Responsibility tasks were not missing: he was, among other matters, a mayer in Pavia between 1862 and 1863 and ordering commissioner at the Universal Exhibitions in Paris of 1867 and Vienna of 1873.
Codazza was also appointed member of the Academy of Sciences of Turin, the National Academy of Lincei, president of the Board of Engineers of Turin and Milan, commendatore of the Order of the Italian Crown. The professor retired from teaching in 1877, when he died in Como.
|
| |
|
|
