Order of the Star of Italy for Prof. Morganti

At a ceremony held yesterday at the residence of the Italian Ambassador, the Head of the Astronomy Group of ASTRON and professor of Astronomy at the University of Groningen, Prof. Raffaella Morganti, has received a knighthood awarded to her by President Giorgio Napolitano and presented to her by the Italian Ambassador Dr. Francesco Azzarello.

Prof. Morganti was appointed ‘Commendatore dell' Ordine della Stella d'Italia' which translates to 'Commander in the Order of the Star of Italy'. Knighthoods in the ‘Ordine della Stella d'Italia' are given to expatriates who have made an outstanding contribution to Italian prestige abroad. The Star of Italy is an old Italian identity symbol, it plays a similar role as 'de Nederlandse Leeuw'. It is the second Italian recognition Raffaella Morganti receives, after the Mondo Italia Award of last year.

Raffaella Morganti has been Head of the Astronomy Group of ASTRON since 2007 and was appointed professor at the Kapteyn Institute for Astronomy at the University of Groningen in 2011. The Astronomy Group has grown considerably and has become a very successful research group which plays a leading role in international radio astronomy. Raffaella Morganti received a prestigious Advanced Research Grant from the European Research Council in 2012.