... is a young engineer from the Politecnico of Bari. She has worked in collaboration with the INFN since 2002. Despte her young age, she has been given the responsibility of controlling the liquid circulation system of the HMPID sub-detector in the ALICE experiment. Irene has quickly understood that the smallest technical issue can cause great damage and stop the whole data acquisition process of a huge apparatus like the LHC.

"I began my university studies in the Bari Politecnico Physics Department. I dreamt of taking part in "big science" experiments and working at CERN, the world's biggest laboratory. Then I started being afraid that I wouldn't make it. Because of this lack of self-belief, I switched to a course with more emphasis on practical applications. In the end, my fate was indeed to come to CERN, even if it was as an engineer."