To mark Fascination of Plants Day 2026, the CNR Regional Research Campus of Rome 1 (ARRM1) opened its doors to secondary school pupils with ‘PLANT EXPERIENCE’, an immersive day dedicated to discovering the plant world and the strategic role of interdisciplinary scientific research in tackling the environmental challenges of the present and the future.
The initiative gave participants the opportunity to engage directly with the latest technologies and experimental applications, turning scientific knowledge into practical experience.
Our Institute was represented by two activities: the first, led by researchers Laura Passatore and Isabel Nogues, guided students in exploring the applications of plants in environmental remediation and regeneration. Through examples of applied research, case studies and observation of the Institute’s experimental greenhouses — seen in their operational context and brought to life by the researchers’ daily work — participants were able to learn about the potential of plant species in phytoremediation processes and the mitigation of environmental impacts, understanding the value of nature-based solutions in the management of degraded ecosystems.
A second initiative, launched by researchers Massimo Zacchini and Fabrizio Pietrini, centred on innovative, next-generation geodesic greenhouses – cutting-edge experimental facilities that are unique in Italy – currently being completed at the Roma1 Research Centre in Montelibretti. These high-tech structures were presented as research platforms for investigating new models of cultivation, monitoring and studying plant adaptation in response to environmental changes, highlighting their potential future applications in the agricultural, ecological and technological fields.
The day also gave the students the opportunity to take a close look at the scientific equipment used in the field to analyse plants’ physiological parameters, which are essential for assessing how plants respond to environmental stresses — such as drought, extreme temperatures or contamination — and for understanding the adaptive mechanisms that govern the growth and productivity of plant ecosystems.
