Amalia Ercoli Finzi (néeErcoli; born 20 April 1937) is an Italian engineer and professor, Principal Investigator of the SD2 drill aboard the Philae spacecraft.
She has taught at the Polytechnic University of Milan for more than fifty years,[4][2] becoming associate professor in 1980 and professor in 1994. She has served as Professor of Orbital Mechanics, Director of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and on the board of Directors of the National Museum of Science and Technology.[2] She has considerable experience in space flight dynamics. She has served as a scientific advisor for NASA, ASI and ESA[5][6] and is an honorary lecturer at Milan's Politecnico university.[7]
Ercoli is married to Filiberto Finzi, son of Italian mathematician Bruno Finzi.[11] The couple have five children.[12][13]
Awards and honors
In 2012 she won the Franck J. Malina Astronautics Medal from the International Astronautical Federation.[14] She was also awarded the Leonardo Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Italian Association of Science Journalists for her contributions to the exploration of space and education.[15] Ercoli is an advocate for women in science, and speaks up against stereotypes and bias.[16][17][18] In 2017 she won the Premio Porto Venere Donna award which is given annually by the Provincial Council of Women to recognise the most influential women in Italy.[19]
A Turin-based working copy of the latest Mars rover was named after Finzi in January 2022 by the European Space Agency. The model will simulate all the rover's actual moves on Mars.[7]