At the University of Genoa, Italy, in the late 1980s, students in electromechanical engineering were getting more than just a training in electricity and mechanics. 'It was a very flexible, very versatile cursus that perfectly agreed with my mindset at the time,' says Pietro Barabaschi, the newly appointed ITER Director-General. 'I wanted to work in energy research, and within this field, nuclear research was the most appealing to me because of its close connection to physics.' Engineering and science were part of the family's heritage: Pietro's two grandfathers were engineers and his father is a nuclear physicist. However, for a young aspiring engineer, Italy was obviously not the place to pursue a career in nuclear energy. In the wake of the Chernobyl accident, the country had shut its two last operating plants and, like many in his generation, Pietro knew that his career would be that of an expatriate—which suited him just fine. In 1989, on a friend's suggestion, Pietro applied for a summer job at JET. 'That was my first encounter with fusion. One year later they called me back for more. And I've been in fusion ever since...' The ITER Director-General, who will officially take up his functions on 17 October, sat with the ITER Newsline for an in-depth interview. Tell us of your experience at JET... It was very inspiring to work there. JET was an agile team, led by some truly remarkable individuals. I had the luck to work closely with many of them, like Peter Noll, Michel Huguet, Enzo Bertolini, and Paul-Henri Rebut. I was a power supply engineer, working on the design of the machine's internal coils. In fact, we jumped from subject to subject, which gave us a truly comprehensive perception of what a tokamak was about. In 1992, ITER enters the Engineering Design Activities (EDA) phase and you, along with others at JET, decide to join the project. What was ITER like at the time? Although we would soon begin to build mockups and prototypes, it was still a paper project. The teams were operating from three Joint Work Sites, one in Munich-Garching, Germany, one in San Diego, California, where I was posted, and one in Naka, Japan. The project was headed at first by Paul-Henri Rebut and soon after by Robert Aymar, whom I consider as my main mentor when it comes to my career in fusion. I did not always agree with him but I feel privileged for having had the opportunity to work with him. Despite the complexity of the organization and the geographical distance between the three Joint Work Sites—you must remember we didn't have the communication tools we have today—working for ITER EDA was exciting and motivating. We got acquainted with all the different systems of the machine, how they would operate and integrate; however, I missed the hands-on dimension I had experienced at JET. I like to be close to the hardware and there wasn't much hardware to be close to. I was feeling frustrated not to be able to 'use my hands,' and one of the ways I found to beat this frustration was to fix and restore cars in my free time. Then, there was politics. Of course, there is a political dimension in ITER—the project wouldn't exist without it. But I had the feeling that the political interference, combined with the complexity of the project, did not bode well for its success. In 2006, after a strong engagement in the negotiations for the siting of the project, I felt that I needed a break. And that's when another tokamak enters your life... Shortly after the Broader Approach agreement was signed between Europe and Japan, the European Commission and other fusion leaders asked me to lead the JT-60SA project, which, more than a major upgrade of the Japanese tokamak JT-60U, was in fact a completely new superconducting tokamak. After my experience at JET and the ITER EDA, I felt motivated for the job. We spent two years redesigning the machine, which is a rather short time for such a complex task, and we established the kind of 'management model' I had in mind for ITER at the time of EDA. The model was welcomed by all contributors. JT-60SA has been for me a beautiful adventure and I trust it has been so for many others who have been, and still are, part of this team. After leading the JT-60SA project, you are put in charge of the whole Broader Approach, which includes the IFMIF/EVEDA and IFERC projects. And in 2015, you apply for the position of Director-General of the ITER Organization. I was very much into JT-60SA at the time and didn't really want to quit. I was not too keen on this idea, but let's say I was strongly encouraged to apply. Were you keener in 2022? My conviction is that if you want something too hard, you won't be good at it. ITER is a huge challenge and the project is in difficulty. What I feel, very deeply at this stage, is that I can contribute to make it a success. How? It's a matter of process efficiency, but even more than that it's a matter of culture. We need to see how we can reorganize, and it doesn't need to be dramatic. We need to be focused on collaboration, with a better integration of all Domestic Agencies. Staff in the ITER Organization and the Domestic Agencies must all be seen in the same plane—they all have the same stake in our joint project. Twice, in 2015 and again in June 2022, I was appointed Acting Director of the European Domestic Agency (Fusion for Energy) responsible for the European contribution to ITER. I have acquired some experience in the interaction between a Domestic Agency and the ITER Organization. We need to simplify our procedures, use more common tools, project a common image, and be reminded that we are building a joint research infrastructure. Something, on the symbolic level, strikes me: all Domestic Agencies have a logo, the ITER Organization has a logo, but the ITER Project does not. And to me, this is an expression of our lack of a strong common culture, of a symbol that would unite us all. I know that this does not come naturally. But we'll have to work on it. In your recent all-staff address, you said your core value was 'integrity.' What did you mean by that? We need to stop hiding problems to our stakeholders and to ourselves. The more you 'decorate' the truth, the harder it will eventually hit you back. In a first-of-a-kind project such as ITER, issues, challenges, setbacks and errors are to be expected. So let's get rid of whatever fear permeates reports and interactions; let's get rid of what is antagonistic in the ITER Project's present culture. Although I've been associated with the ITER Project for close to 30 years, there is still a lot I have to learn. That's what I'm doing now and will be doing for much time to come.

When driving by the village of La Roque d'Anthéron, about 35 kilometres from the ITER site, one now passes an imposing structure that beckons the eye skyward. It is the recently inaugurated Résonances monument, created by French sculptor Jean-Paul Philippe. The name of the monument, Résonances, was not chosen lightly. It came about during an animated discussion between the artist and former ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot, who was passionate about creating an important testimony to art and science. It was Dr Bigot who suggested the name as it rang true on several levels, beginning with the diverse artistic inspirations for the sculpture—French philosopher Albert Camus, who settled locally in Lourmarin in the late 1950s, and the architecture of the nearby Abbaye de Silvacane. The term résonances also has meaning in the realm of science. In physics, resonance is a phenomenon in which an external force or a vibrating system forces another system to vibrate with greater amplitude at a specified frequency, such as when the bow of a violin rubs against a string causing it to resonate and produce a powerful sound. It can also refer to the resonance that takes place in the deepest part of matter, in the atoms themselves, which leads to their fusion—the source of the prodigious energy in the universe, and in the stars that ITER is replicating on Earth. The idea for Résonances came from Jean-Paul Philippe, whose emblematic sculpture Site Transitoire is located in La Roque d'Anthéron's twin city in Asciano, Italy. This connection led to the idea of creating a monument that would echo both the Italian Site Transitoire and the special relationship between La Roque d'Anthéron and the ITER Project. The location for the sculpture in the Parc des Adrechs was carefully chosen, as it overlooks the route travelled by ITER convoys and the Durance Canal—both of which lead to ITER's door. The monument has gilded curves that reflect the sunlight towards the Abbaye de Silvacane and ITER, creating a resonance between historical architecture and the innovation of the future. The main column of the monument, rising nine metres in height, consists of seven blocks of travertine stone from a quarry in Asciano. Each block represents an ITER Member, while other stones have engravings that reference deuterium-tritium fusion products and Einstein's formula for mass/energy conversion E=mc². A smaller version of the monument is located on the ITER site, offered by the artist as a gesture of support and gratitude towards everyone at ITER who is working on proving that fusion is a viable source of energy for the future. He sees both the sculpture and the ITER Project as beacons of life and hope. The monument was managed by the Résonances Endowment Fund and financially supported by donations from both individuals and companies alike. The Endowment Fund handed over the responsibility and care of the beautiful monument to the commune of La Roque d'Anthéron during an inauguration ceremony on 5 October, 2022. The ceremony was not only a celebration of the monument's completion, but also a moment of recognition for the important role that Dr Bigot played in its creation. His dedication to art, nature and science for the benefit of humankind has already left an indelible mark along the banks of the Durance canal in the form of a monument that will offer reflection and 'resonance' for generations to come. "I am convinced that art and science share the same ambition, to reveal worlds and broaden the horizons of each one. Art speaks to what is most intimate to us and invites us to grasp the world in a way that is always evolving..." Bernard Bigot, Director-General of the ITER Organization (2015-2022) and former President of the Résonances Endowment Fund

On 1 October, Indians from the ITER community came together to celebrate an age-old Indian festival called Navaratri in the most dazzling way. They turned the bowling hall at the small town of Villeneuve into a lively room filled with lights, colours, and music and danced the evening away to a celebratory traditional Gujarati dance called Garba. As with many Hindu festivals, the traditions originate in scripture and religion. Navaratri is a festival that celebrates the victory of the Indian goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura in an epic battle that lasted 9 nights and 10 days. The word Navaratri stems from Sanskrit, meaning nav (9) and ratri (nights), and the festival is observed by Indians all over the country and around the world, often adapted to their own cultural and family traditions. For ITER families, a Garba evening was planned in Villeneuve by an events committee consisting of Indians that work as ITER Organization staff, ITER Project Associates, and Domestic Agency staff and that meet outside of their work hours to bond and create memorable events for their families living in France. In total, there are approximately 255 Indians currently working at ITER, counting all categories mentioned above. The evening began with a musical yet humble aarti, which is a type of worship with lamps to the shrine of the Goddess Durga. With traditional Gujarati music playing, all the Indian men, women, grandparents and children present began to form a circle and, in unison, danced around the mini temple. Perhaps bewildering to an outsider is how more than 200 people seemed to know the same dance steps, but in fact the Garba steps can be followed by anyone motivated enough to learn! When asked what his favorite part of Navaratri was, this 9 year old preferred another activity: 'I love playing tag with my friends at Garba!' perfectly summing up how much children look forward to the festival organized by the Indian community. Followed by flavorsome Indian food that was enjoyed outside the hall on the lawn, the families recouped their energy, only to continue dancing to different rhythms and songs again, in sync and into the night. To see how the colors and lights captured the essence of Navaratri in France, you can view this YouTube link, courtesy of one of the Indian family members. (It is recommended to watch in 1080 HD Quality via settings.)

Following the appointment of Pietro Barabaschi as Director-General of the ITER Organization, the Governing Board of the European Domestic Agency Fusion for Energy (F4E) has appointed his replacement. Mr Barabaschi had been Acting Director of Fusion for Energy since June 2022.  Jean-Marc Filhol is the new Fusion for Energy Director ad interim beginning 16 October 2022 and until the formal appointment of the new Director. In thanking the members of the Governing Board for their trust, Jean-Marc Filhol highlighted his priorities for this interim period: 'I will work together with the rest of the Senior Team to ensure a smooth operation of F4E and preserve a peaceful working environment for all staff, to support the new ITER Organization Director-General in the restructuring of the ITER project and the integration of ITER Organization and F4E, and to prepare the ground for the new F4E Director.' A French national, Mr Filhol has been with F4E since August 2011 and has occupied several senior management positions as Head of ITER Department and Head of ITER-Programme Department. In his role of European Domestic Agency representative in the ITER project since 2015, he has represented F4E to the ITER Organization and Domestic Agencies, in the Executive Project Board, and at other ITER governance bodies. See the original report at Fusion for Energy.