Innovative applications of high-resolution airborne imaging are explored for detecting grapevine diseases. Driven by the motivation to enhance early disease detection, the method’s effectiveness lies in its capacity to identify isolated cases of grapevine yellows (Flavescence dorée and Bois Noir) and trunk disease (Esca complex), crucial for preventing the disease from spreading to unaffected areas. Conducted over a 17 ha vineyard in the Forlì municipality in Emilia-Romagna (Italy), the aerial survey utilized a photogrammetric camera capturing centimeter-level resolution images of the whole area in 17 minutes. These images were then processed through an automated analysis leveraging RGB-based spectral indices (Green–Red Vegetation Index—GRVI, Green–Blue Vegetation Index—GBVI, and Blue–Red Vegetation Index—BRVI). The analysis scanned the 1.24 · 10⁹ pixels of the orthomosaic, detecting 0.4% of the vineyard area showing evidence of disease. The instances, density, and incidence maps provide insights into symptoms’ spatial distribution and facilitate precise interventions. High specificity (0.96) and good sensitivity (0.56) emerged from the ground field observation campaign. Statistical analysis revealed a significant edge effect in symptom distribution, with higher disease occurrence near vineyard borders. This pattern, confirmed by spatial autocorrelation and non-parametric tests, likely reflects increased vector activity and environmental stress at the vineyard margins. The presented pilot study not only provides a reliable detection tool for grapevine diseases but also lays the groundwork for an early warning system that, if extended to larger areas, could offer a valuable system to guide on-the-ground monitoring and facilitate strategic decision-making by the authorities.

In the Caleri lagoon, a coastal lagoon in the Po River Delta, Northern Adriatic, the transplant of the dwarf eelgrass Zostera noltei was used as a nature-based solution to attempt the ecological restoration of a previously depleted lagoon area. A total of 135 15-cm-diameter sods were transplanted, with the donor site at the Venice lagoon. Using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), eelgrass transplants were mapped and monitored with great precision. After two years, the area covered by eelgrass increased from the initial 2.5 m² to 60 m². Changes in the community structure and on the frequency of biological traits of macrobenthos occurred at the transplant site, with a higher frequency of epifaunal predators and herbivores, and of organisms with longer life spans and larger body sizes. Sensitive and indifferent taxa were always higher in the transplant site than in the bare bottom control site, where opportunistic taxa continued to dominate. Ecological quality status measured through M-AMBI and HBFI indices showed a clear improvement in the transplant site. The rapid changes in benthos demonstrate that even relatively small-scale transplantation of dwarf eelgrass can restore faunal communities very rapidly.

In the Caleri lagoon, a coastal lagoon in the Po River Delta, Northern Adriatic, the transplant of the dwarf eelgrass Zostera noltei was used as a nature-based solution to attempt the ecological restoration of a previously depleted lagoon area. A total of 135 15 cm diameter sods were transplanted, with the donor site at the Venice lagoon. Using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), eelgrass transplants have been mapped and monitored with great precision. After 2 years, the area covered by eelgrass increased from the initial 2.5 m2 to 60 m2. Changes in the community structure and on the frequency of biological traits of macrobenthos occurred at the transplant site, with a higher frequency of epifaunal predators and herbivores, of organisms with longer life spans and larger body sizes. Sensitive and indifferent taxa were always higher in the transplant site than in the bare bottom control site, where opportunistic taxa continued to dominate. Ecological quality status measured through M-AMBI and HBFI indices showed a clear improvement in the transplant site. The rapid changes in benthos demonstrate that even relatively small-scale transplantation of dwarf eelgrass can restore faunal communities very rapidly.

Natural radioactivity constitutes an intrinsic characteristic of the terrestrial environment, subjecting the biosphere to a continuous flux of ionizing radiation. However, conventional pedagogical frameworks frequently neglect empirical engagement with environmental radioactivity, thereby failing to mitigate prevalent misconceptions regarding nuclear physics. This failure represents a significant barrier to fostering student interest in scientific careers, which is essential for sustainable development. This work details an experiential learning framework implemented at the INFN National Laboratory of Frascati (LNF), wherein students employed the CAEN GammaEDU system to characterize the spatial distribution of natural environmental radioactivity.Seventy-one in situ gamma-ray measurements were acquired across a 0.12 km2 footprint using the CAEN GammaEDU system equipped with a 3" NaI(Tl) scintillator. Real-time energy spectra were analyzed to quantify abundances of Potassium (K), equivalent Uranium (eU), and equivalent Thorium (eTh) over an integration time of 420 seconds per point, with concurrent logging of geospatial and visual data. The measurement campaign stratified the study area into seven distinct surface types (asphalt, bricks, cement, grass, gravel, porphyry, and playground) with a 70 cm diameter field-of-view. Spatial distribution maps were subsequently generated via collocated Co-kriging, a multivariate interpolation technique leveraging the spatial autocorrelation of sparse radiometric data and its cross-correlation with surface classification. It resulted that the average concentrations in the area (7.0 ± 0.5 μg/g for eU, 40.5 ± 5.8 μg/g for eTh, and 2.7 ± 0.4% for K) are significantly exceed global soil abundances (2.9 ± 0.3 μg/g for eU, 8.0 ± 0.7 μg/g for eTh, and 1.20 ± 0.07% for K. The average total activity concentration in the area is 1087 ± 215 Bq/kg with the highest values (1896 ± 192 Bq/kg) in asphalt and the lowest concentration (417 ± 265 Bq/kg) in the bricks surface type.This experiential approach gave students direct access to professional scientific instrumentation, allowing them to navigate the entire experimental lifecycle from data acquisition to geostatistical analysis. This process helped solidify their conceptual understanding of environmental radioactivity and highlighted the vital role technological literacy plays in developing future talent. By effectively bridging the gap between abstract theory and applied research, the project successfully increased student motivation and engagement with the subject matter.

The EyeRAD project establishes a national network across eight sections of the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) (Milano, Milano-Bicocca, Ferrara, Bari, Napoli, LNF-Frascati, LNGS-Assergi, and LNS–Catania) for the monitoring of atmospheric radioactivity. A key challenge of the network lies in the heterogeneity of the detection systems employed, which range from high-resolution HPGe spectrometers to scintillation detectors like NaI(Tl) and CeBr3 used for early warning. To ensure comparable analytical sensitivity and rapid response despite this instrumental diversity, a harmonized measurement protocol has been developed and validated.All laboratories operate identical high-volume air samplers with a nominal flow rate of 1000 L·min⁻¹, collecting atmospheric particulate matter on glass fiber filters corresponding to a sampled volume of approximately 1.4x103 m³ per 23-hour session. The measurement strategy adopts a sequential counting approach performed at fixed intervals (typically 2, 5, 24, 48, and 72 hours) after sampling. This schedule is physically motivated by the decay kinetics of short-lived radon progeny specifically 214Pb and 214Bi from the 222Rn chain, and 212Pb and 208Tl from the 220Rn chain which dominate the gamma background in the initial hours. The progressive decay of these natural contributions significantly enhances the detectability of longer-lived radionuclides.The protocol includes the monitoring of 210Pb as a tracer for natural background stability and aerosol load, and cosmogenic 7Be as an independent quality indicator, with measured concentrations consistently falling within the expected 2-8mBqm-3 range. In terms of sensitivity, the protocol achieves Minimum Detectable Activities (MDAs) for anthropogenic radionuclides 131I and 137Cs in the order of 1-3x10-5 Bqm-3, and approximately 10-2 Bqm-3 for 210Pb (based on 24-hour live time measurements with HPGe detectors). Finally, to ensure accessibility and transparency, all results and metadata are centrally collected and published via a public web application (https://www.eyerad-infn.it/).