Milvia Chicca graduated in Biological Sciences in 1972 at the University of Bologna (Bologna, Italy) with full marks 110/110. Her experimental graduation thesis concerned Animal Biochemistry (“Polychlorinated biphenyls in Adriatic Clupeidae”. In 1973-1974 she taught Botany at the same University. In 1974 she was awarded an Exchange Fellowship at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana (USA). From 1974 to 1977 she attended as a graduate student the Department of Biology of Indiana University, following Master and PhD courses. Her research fields concerned plant physiology and biochemistry. In 1975 she attende a course on Vitamin C held at Indiana University by Linus Pauling, Nobel prize 1954. In 1976 and 1977 she became Associate Instructor and obtained the Master in Plant Sciences in 1977. From 1977 to 1980 she taught Botany and Biology for Medicine (including laboratories) as teaching assistant at Indiana University. From 1981 to 1985 she taught Sciences in senior high schools of Bologna and Modena (Italy). In January 1986 she won a scholarship for PhD program in Animal Biology at the Universities of Bologna and Ferrara. Her PhD research involved insect biochemistry and physiology. During the PhD program she visited the animal biochemistry and physiology laboratory of the University of Bern (Switzerland), directed by Dr B. Lanzrein. She obtained her PhD in Animal Biology in 1989, discussing the thesis "Ovariole morphogenesis and hormonal control in Bacillus rossius (Phasmatodea)". In 1990 she won the public position as a researcher in General Biology (Faculty of Medicine) at the University of Ferrara. From 1 August 1990 she is a researcher at the Department of Biology (Section of Evolutionary Biology) of the University of Ferrara. She was confirmed researcher in 1993 in the field of Applied Biology (E13X, in 1999 renamed E06X and in 2001 BIO13). In 1995-1996 she was responsible of the research fund 60% MURST 95/60/05/025: "Reproduction and caste differentiation in Isoptera". In 2004-2005 she was scientific responsible of the local research unit (University of Ferrara) PRIN 2003060145_006, Area 06 (Medica Sciences) “Activation of xanthine oxidase by broncholaveolar lavage fluid of patients affected by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in pulmonary endothelial cells”. From 2006 to 2008 she was in the research program of the University of Ferrara PRIN 2006054928_005, Area 05 (Biological Sciences) “Regulation of gonad sex differentiation in A. anguilla”.
She is author or co-author of 45 papers on international and national journals, and of 45 abstracts in national and international meetings. For the Casa Editrice Zanichelli (Bologna, Italy) she translated into Italian 6 scientific textbooks, among which J. M. Berg, J. L. Tymoczko, L. Stryer “Biochemistry”, 5th Edition, W.H. Freeman & Co, New York 2001, G. Gibson, S. V. Muse “A Primer of Genome Science”, Sinauer Associates, Inc. Sunderland, Massachusetts 2001, and D. Voet, J. G. Voet, C. Pratt “Fundamentals of Biochemistry: Life at the Molecular Level”, 2nd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York 2006.
The research activity of Dr Chicca mainly concerns biomedical fields (molecular and cellular biology of oxygen radicals, antioxidants and apoptosis related to oxidative stress in biological fluids and human cells), applied zoology (gametogenesis in Isoptera, karyotype characterization and gonad differentiation in Acipenseridae, gonad differentiation in A. anguilla, toxic effects and oxidative stress caused by heavy metals exposure in vertebrates and invertebrates, codon usage and phylogenetic studies) and applied plant biology (RAPD DNA studies, antioxidant activity of oils and other plant derivatives, regulation of oxidative stress in higher plants and morphological studies on living and fossil Conipherae).
The teaching activity of Dr Chicca presently concerns Biology and Applied Biology courses at the University of Ferrara in Biotechnology, Biomolecular and Cellular Sciences, Agricultural and Industrial Biotechnology, Motory Sciences. For the Faculty of Medicine she teaches courses in Cell Genetics (Specialization in Medical Genetics) and Parasitology (Specialization in Infectivology).
She is author or co-author of 45 papers on international and national journals, and of 45 abstracts in national and international meetings. For the Casa Editrice Zanichelli (Bologna, Italy) she translated into Italian 6 scientific textbooks, among which J. M. Berg, J. L. Tymoczko, L. Stryer “Biochemistry”, 5th Edition, W.H. Freeman & Co, New York 2001, G. Gibson, S. V. Muse “A Primer of Genome Science”, Sinauer Associates, Inc. Sunderland, Massachusetts 2001, and D. Voet, J. G. Voet, C. Pratt “Fundamentals of Biochemistry: Life at the Molecular Level”, 2nd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York 2006.
The research activity of Dr Chicca mainly concerns biomedical fields (molecular and cellular biology of oxygen radicals, antioxidants and apoptosis related to oxidative stress in biological fluids and human cells), applied zoology (gametogenesis in Isoptera, karyotype characterization and gonad differentiation in Acipenseridae, gonad differentiation in A. anguilla, toxic effects and oxidative stress caused by heavy metals exposure in vertebrates and invertebrates, codon usage and phylogenetic studies) and applied plant biology (RAPD DNA studies, antioxidant activity of oils and other plant derivatives, regulation of oxidative stress in higher plants and morphological studies on living and fossil Conipherae).
The teaching activity of Dr Chicca presently concerns Biology and Applied Biology courses at the University of Ferrara in Biotechnology, Biomolecular and Cellular Sciences, Agricultural and Industrial Biotechnology, Motory Sciences. For the Faculty of Medicine she teaches courses in Cell Genetics (Specialization in Medical Genetics) and Parasitology (Specialization in Infectivology).
