Giovanni Prodi
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University of Pisa
Giovanni Prodi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 28 July 1925 Scandiano, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
| Died | 29 January 2010 (aged 84) Pisa, Italy |
| Alma mater | University of Parma |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Milan University of Pisa |
Giovanni Prodi (28 July 1925 – 29 January 2010) was an Italian mathematician, also known for many activities concerning the teaching of mathematics.
There is a professorship of mathematics at the University of Würzburg named in his honour,[1] created in 2006.
His father, Mario Prodi, was an engineer and his mother, Enrica, a primary school teacher. He was the eldest among 9 siblings, which included former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, member of the European Parliament Vittorio Prodi, and the medical scientist Giorgio Prodi. Prodi studied at the Liceo Ariosto in Reggio nell'Emilia, which was the main city of the region. Following that, he entered the University of Parma to study mathematics in 1943 amid World War II hostilities.[2]
Military service
He was drafted into the National Republican Army, reluctantly because of the threat of harm to his family. He was sent to Germany as part of an Italian camp and trained there as a telephonist.[2] In 1944, he deserted the Army along with several comrades and returned to Parma, where he was taken prisoner by the advancing Allies. He was detained at Coltano, near Pisa, where he remained for 5 months before being released.[2]
