Birth and Evolution of the Mathematical Analysis Seminar of Bologna

The Mathematical Analysis Seminar at the University of Bologna was founded by Bruno Pini¹ in the Academic Year 1981–1982. The first printed volume containing the complete texts of the lectures given in that inaugural year was titled

Subsequent volumes-one for each academic year-retained that title until 1983–1984. Starting from then, with the establishment of the Department of Mathematics in April 1983 — which absorbed the existing Mathematical Institute Salvatore Pincherle and Institute of Geometry Luigi Cremona, both belonging to the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical, and Natural Sciences, as well as the Institute of Applied Mathematics from the Faculty of Engineering — the seminar adopted the title

Pini directed and coordinated the activities of the seminar until November 1993, the year of his retirement. From that point onward, Angelo Favini, Bruno Franchi, and Ermanno Lanconelli took over the direction and coordination. Since 2005, Annamaria Montanari has been responsible for these duties.

The publication costs of the printed seminar volumes were initially covered by the research funds RFO-ex 60% of the Mathematical Analysis Unit of Bologna. However, starting from 2005–2006, due to unsustainable increases in printing expenses, the printed volumes were no longer published. Instead, they appeared in electronic format on the Department of Mathematics website, under the title

In 2009, upon learning about the existence of the AlmaDL Journals electronic platform of the University of Bologna, following the indications of Marialaura Vignocchi — head of the Management and Development Sector of the University’s digital library (AlmaDL) — Annamaria Montanari deposited the seminar journal at the Bologna Court, titled

Since 2009, to the present day, this has been the designation of the Pini Seminar, with its annual volumes being published on the platform AlmaDL Journals of the University of Bologna. In the same year, the Editorial Committee of the journal was established.

Subsequently, with the technical collaboration of the AlmaDL Journals staff, the journal was indexed by major databases, including MathSciNet, Zentralblatt, and Scopus. This, coupled with the open-access policy of the journal, has contributed to providing wider visibility to the Pini Seminar in the international scientific community.

In 2023, at the initiative of Fausto Ferrari, with the support of the Department of Mathematics, BIMFI, and still with the technical collaboration provided by Alma DL through the AlmaDL Journals staff, the digitization of the printed volumes of the first series of Mathematical Analysis Seminars from the period 1982–2005 took place.

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1. For a remembrance of Bruno Pini, see: Cavallucci, Angelo, and Lanconelli, Ermanno. “Commemorazione di Bruno Pini.” La Matematica nella Società e nella Cultura. Rivista dell’Unione Matematica Italiana 4.2 (2011): 261-274. http://eudml.org/doc/290794.↩︎