He loves the mountains and never misses an opportunity to reach them, either on foot or by bicycle. That is if he isn’t refereeing a basketball game somewhere in Italy! Let’s get to know Sergio Noce, the forestry “GIS-man” of the IAFES Division.

Interview by Laura Caciagli

What’s your job at the CMCC Foundation?
I deal with geographic information issues, spatial data analysis and modeling, I’m a GIS-man! At IAFES – Impacts on Agriculture, Forests and Ecosystem Services Division we study climate change impacts on terrestrial ecosystems; I have a degree in Forestry Sciences and I’m especially interested in forestry dynamics. My research focuses on the analysis of the potential impacts of climate change on spatial distribution of forest species.

What brought you to the CMCC?
I arrived at the CMCC in 2012, when the first research team of the current IAFES Division was established. Before that I worked in a private company in Rome as a GIS technician. There I met Monia (Santini, nrd) working on a joint project, and I had the opportunity to join the CMCC. It didn’t take me long to accept.

Is your current job the one you had dreamed of when you were a kid?
To be honest, I don’t remember what I used to dream of becoming when I was a child, but it was surely something very different from my current job.

Could you tell us the most important moment in your career life at CMCC?
I can’t identify a single moment, there are many. It is hard to choose one, but perhaps every time we work on a scientific publication and we receive the proof of the paper and we can see it for the first time with a layout. That feeling of, “So, this is my work” is very satisfying and exciting every time.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic altered your working day?
First of all, I’d say that I waste less time commuting by car (before this pandemic, I used to spend 2 hours going to work and 2 hours getting back home every day): Viterbo is not a city well served by public transport, therefore for me, as I live in another city (Latina), commuting by car is the only option.
Smart working gives me the opportunity to waste less time commuting. Time which I can then use for outdoor activities such as walking to the seaside, going to the mountains, mountain biking before sitting in front of the computer. I still get up very early in the morning at 6:30 am, but now I have two hours of spare time to dedicate to myself and the outdoor activities I like the most.

What do you keep at your workstation?
A handcrafted tree made out of wood and shaped as a spruce that comes from the small market at the Port of Helsinki. I’ve had it for years, and I’ve always kept it at my desk, even in my previous jobs, because to for me, in a way, it is the forest spirit.

What do you do in your spare time?
I like to mountain bike, and whenever I get a chance I love going to the mountains, by foot or cycling. I have very little spare time actually: I’ve been a basketball referee for 24 years and throughout the year and all the week ends you are always travelling around Italy to referee, while during the week you have to prepare yourself by watching the last matches you refereed or those of the next teams you will be refereeing.

Cinema or literature?
I have always been fond of fantasy books since I was a child, but if I had to choose I’d say The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. A book that immediately reminds of my childhood and that I read many times. A book that remains close to my heart, and is without a doubt my favourite.