Luigi Ciampi Panno

Luigi Ciampi Panno, Italian, was born in Florence (Italy) in 1943 and emigrated to Chile at the age of 6 with his parents settling in Valparaíso where he studied basic and secondary studies at the Italian School and High School Eduardo de la Barra. In 1965 he enrolled in Austral University and studied agronomy, and that same year the Ministry of the Interior granted him the Definitive Permanence in Chile. He received his degree in Agricultural Engineering in 1971 and became an academic at Austral University, Faculty of Sciences. In 1973 he received a scholarship from the Ford Foundation and received a MS degree in Plant Pathology from North Dakota State University (1975). With support from the International Potato Center, he received his PhD degree in Plant Pathology from the University of Wisconsin in 1979. His doctoral work contributed to further understanding of bacterial soft rot and bacterial wilt of potato. Together with his major professor Dr. Luis Sequeira, they established the mechanism of latent infections caused by Ralstonia solanacearum in potato.  He rejoined Austral University in 1979 where he taught Plant Pathology and Bacteriology. He was Director of Research at the University (1985-6) and the School of Agronomy (1996-7). He was a member of the Superior Council of Technology of Chile (FONDECYT, 1990-92) and of the National Commission of Undergraduate Accreditation (2004). He completed many projects related to plant health, made several international technological tours, and published two books on Phytopathology. During his career he has numerous publications, presentations at congresses, patents, trademarks, teaching materials, and several national recognitions, and awards for its work. In cooperation with the government of Italy and his colleague Andres Contreras, they conducted four expeditions to collect potato germplasm in the Chonos and Guaytecas regions of Southern Chile. During his academic career, he has directed theses of over one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate students He is currently retired, practices his profession and collaborates with the Municipality of Futrono in aspects of Plant Health.