Bischofberger seems to be a born communicator. He filmed a documentary about a Greek dialect spoken in certain parts of Italy (including the village Castrignano dei Greci, where he spent his childhood vacations) and is a regular contributor to the science section of the major Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. “There are many misunderstandings about science,” he says. “Those of us who understand science have a responsibility to explain it. The more you know, the more you have to share.”

ItaliaDallEstero.info has perhaps had the most obvious impact. With over 5,000 visitors every day, its articles “have been cited by politicians and journalists in Italy,” says Bischofberger. Those politicians' Web pages and news articles carry links to his website, which has also had positive reviews from prominent Italian bloggers. “Now there is a movement that is building mistrust about Berlusconi's honesty,” says Bischofberger. “We like to think we contributed a little piece to that movement.”

Among the website's visitors is Bischofberger's Ph.D. advisor. “I have read some of the original articles in Dutch and found them very interesting,” says van der Goot. “I think it's great when someone identifies a problem and then does something to improve the situation.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION: If you can read Italian, visit italiadallestero.info.

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