The entire DiSTAV community joins in profound grief with the families of Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, Muriel Oddenino, and Federico Gualtieri.
We feel the need to explain that if the silence we sought to maintain during this tragic week may have seemed unusual, or perhaps a sign of emotional detachment, it was in fact, quite the opposite, an expression of mourning and respect.
Not only did we consider it necessary to exercise discretion in making public statements because of the ongoing investigations, but we also believed this to be the most respectful way to honor those we have lost, avoiding conjecture, speculation, and unfounded explanations possibly arising from misinterpreted statements.
Above all, however, our silence was a sign of mourning — a deep mourning, certainly not comparable to that experienced by the victims’ families, but the mourning of a community made up of dozens of people: colleagues, and above all, students. It was precisely these students, and the young members of Professor Montefalcone’s research group — Muriel’s coworkers and those who had worked with Federico on his thesis — whom we felt the strongest need to protect and support. We did so not only through the physical presence and closeness of many among us and through the activation of psychological support services, but above all by refraining from contributing to the flood of statements in the press and especially on social media, which generated an insatiable demand for news, updates, and rumors, further intensifying the pain and confusion surrounding the search for causes and responsibilities.
Silence and discretion are not signs of indifference, but rather expressions of respect, inner closeness, and shared grief.
Monica Montefalcone was an internationally renowned marine biologist, recipient of numerous national and international awards, including recognition for her diving activities, and a passionate advocate for the protection of the sea. Monica possessed an innate and contagious empathy, enhanced by her engaging smile and optimism, as well as a rare ability to convey her passion to colleagues, students, and mentees — and also to her daughter Giorgia.
A professor of Ecology and Marine Landscape Ecology, Monica was an expert in the assessment of the ecological quality of delicate marine habitats such as seagrass meadows, Mediterranean coralligenous assemblages, and tropical coral reefs.
Author of approximately 200 scientific papers published in national and international journals, she developed numerous national and international research projects focused on coastal and tropical marine ecology, underwater landscape mapping, conservation ecology, and the impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems. Her expertise led her to chair the Benthos Committee of the Italian Society of Marine Biology and to serve within the Species Survival Commission of the IUCN.
This is how the young women and men of her research group, the Marine Landscape Ecology Laboratory, remember her:
“Monica was our guide. She had the great merit of founding a research group composed of extraordinary people, capable of working together with harmony, respect, and mutual support, building over time a bond that went far beyond professional collaboration.
The passion for the sea and for research, which Monica passed on to us from the time we were her students, has over the years been the force that kept us united. Thanks to her, we collaborated on important research projects, lived unique experiences, and shared moments that will forever remain part of our personal and scientific history.
With Monica, we lose our point of reference. The path we traveled together was interrupted suddenly and painfully, leaving a void that today seems impossible to fill.”
We remember Giorgia with the same profound passion for the sea and for travel that characterized her mother. We remember her kindness and gentleness, her brilliance, which always made her an exceptional student, and her love for books, a sign of her curiosity and her desire to understand the world.
The team of the Marine Landscape Ecology Laboratory also remembers Muriel and Federico.
Muriel was a precious friend and colleague, who grew within our group from her student years and, after a wonderful experience at the University of Bari, returned to become once again a fundamental presence for all of us. With her, we shared countless experiences, laughter, field trips, working days, and also difficult moments during which we supported one another. We all remember her for her smile and contagious laughter, which brightened the entire office. We will miss traveling with her for fieldwork and returning with countless stories to tell. We will miss her presence, her affection, her cheerfulness, and everything that made Muriel such a unique person to us.
Federico (“Chicco”) was among the brightest graduate students in our laboratory; full of ideas, enthusiasm, and a desire to propose new projects through which he could develop his skills and pursue his path in research. He had a genuine passion for science and was always willing to collaborate, even in activities beyond his main work, because he was deeply fascinated by everything related to the sea. We are certain he would have become an outstanding researcher.
The faculty members of the Degree Program in Marine Biology and Ecology also remember with esteem and affection the two former students, Muriel and Federico, brilliant, attentive, and curious individuals, always eager to deepen and fully understand every topic discussed during lectures. There are no thoughts or words capable of describing the shock, pain, and despair caused by their passing, which is accompanied also by the loss of their diving guide, Gianluca Benedetti, and Mohamed Mahudhee, the Maldivian military diver who died during an initial attempt to recover the bodies. We thank the Finnish divers who made it possible to bring our loved ones, taken from us far too soon, back to Italy.
Link to the scientific publications of Monica Montefalcone
Link to the scientific publications of Muriel Oddenino