Umberto Colombo died on May 13th 2006. Professor Umberto Colombo was a renamed scientist, former Minister for Universities and Scientific Research in the Italian Government, energy and environmental policies international expert.
In the late sixties he, together with Professor Carlo Padovani, was the Italian Representative in the IFRF “Joint Committee”; on April 22 1965 Professor Umberto Colombo and Professor Carlo Padovani, director of “ Stazione  Sperimentale  per  i  Combustibili – S. Donato  Milanese”, established the COMITATO   NAZIONALE ITALIANO di RICERCA  sulle  FIAMME, in order to support the Foundation and begin a never stopped international cooperation.
Professor Colombo activities in the Foundation network were intense and fruitful, particularly in focusing research issues, on the basis scientific and industrial insight and experience.
Within  the  Foundation,  industrial combustion issues were discussed in “panels”:

•  “pulverised coal” panel, in that times very important to finalize and set up industrial burners for pulverised fuels


• “oil and gas” panel, focused on innovative burners


•  “aerodynamics” panel, cross related to the previous panels

Professor Colombo wisely proposed, in those pioneering times, a further cross-linked panel focused on “Flame Chemistry”. No need to stress the relevance of this issue for its environmental implications  (pollutants  agents  and  measure  in  order  to  reduce  them).
One of the first subjects considered in the panel, held under the chairmanship of Professor Colombo, was “soot” formation: all possible aspects such as engineering rules, technological solutions, organic chemistry, composition and growth, all were examined. This is only an example of the rich and many topics successfully discussed under his guidance.

It is not that easy, on this occasion, to mention all the activities and all the achievements he carried out and got in his scientific career, as he was a man rich in genius, insight and extremely found for research; he was given many prizes and acknowledgments both on national and international basis for his works and he will be strongly missed by all his co-workers and everybody had chance to know him.
Personally I will keep memory of a good friend, with outstanding feelings and unpaired scientific insight.