Author Maria Gabriella Forno has been a researcher in the Heart Science Department at Turin University since 1984 and an Associate Professor in the same department since 2001. She was nominated as a corresponding partner of the Accademia delle Scienze di Torino. She has conducted research regarding Quaternary Geology and the Geological Survey. Her main subjects of interest are the Neotectonic Map of Italy; type–area villafranchian succession revision; the study of the Turin Hill Pleistocene fluvial succession; the co-ordination, for the Quaternary evolution, of some Geological Maps of Italy Sheets to the 1:50.000 scale (155 West Turin, 156 East Turin Sheets, and 157 Trino); and creating detailed geological maps of various genesis surface sediments. Presently, she studies: * Gravitative deformations of the Germanasca Valley and their relationship with glacial sediments and landforms; * The historical landslide of the Becca France, connected with the gravitative deformations of the Aosta Valley; * The reconstruction of the glacial succession of the Ivrea Morainic Amphitheatre; * The stratigraphic study of the Piedmont plane subsoil for hydrogeological purposes; * The stratigraphic reconstruction of the Southern Turin Plain, the Lanzo Fan, and the Ivrea Morainic Amphitheatre Fan; * The geologic survey of Piedmont and Aosta Valley areas with surficial sediments of various geneses; * Turin subsoil.