Alessandro Serpieri (1823-1885) Known for his work in seismic waves and meteor showers
Alessandro Serpieri was born at S. Giovanni in Marignano, near Rimini.(1) He received his early education from the priest brothers Speranza in Rimini.(1) His classical studies were at College of the Scolopians in Urbino, of which the distinguished Latin scholar, Father Angelo Bonucelli, was the rector.(1) He entered their novitiate at Florence in November of 1838.(1) He studied philosophy and the exact sciences for three years at the Ximenian College.(1) Serpieri was only 20 when he was appointed instructor for the college in Siena, where excelled and became known as a model teacher due to his clear style of exposition, his eloquence, and his manners.(1)
Three years later, in 1846, his superior appointed him professor at the college of Urbino. (1) Two months after that, the Papal government chose him for the chair of physics in the same city.(1) Two years later, he was ordained priest, and in 1857 he became rector of the college. During his time at the college, he applied himself to astronomy, theoretical and experimental physics, meteorology, and specifically seismology.(1)
In astronomy, his major work was in shooting stars, where he discovered that the August meteors originate near Gamma Persei, and established an observatory at Urbino. His work on the electric potential… was praised for its system, clearness, and conciseness.(1)
He also worked on absolute measures, especially in physics. His chief accomplishments, however, were in the field seismology. His major work was discovering what caused animal “premonitions” before an earthquake and managing to invent a device that detected start location, direction and time of seismic waves cheaply and easily. The device’s design, however, was lost, and we only have general descriptions and images of this device.(2)
His career at the college ended, however, when, in 1884, the secularization of education began. While he could have remained at the college, he resigned to show his disgust in such an unjust decree. This shock, combined with his already failing health, caused a near-fatal shock, and he died a year later, in 1885.
Works Cited
(1) Alessandro Serpieri http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13730a.htm
(1) The Nineteenth Century http://physlab.uniurb.it/Physics04.html
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