Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai - Cucurbit Breeding ...

Biography
Gabriele Gusmini was born in 1973 close to Milano (Milan), in Northern Italy. He spent his childhood
in a little town called Cusano Milanino, in the province of Milano, with his mother and father. He grew up
close to his other relatives, and spent vacations in the Alps during his summer and winter. As a child, Gabriele
traveled with his parents to South Africa, Cyprus, Brazil, Spain, and Greece. As a teenager, he traveled to
Switzerland, Germany, England, and France.
At the age of thirteen, Gabriele wanted an education both classical and scientific. Therefore, he
pursued a classical curriculum during high school and a scientific education at the university. During high
school he studied classical Greek, Latin, and Italian languages and literature, philosophy, history, and art, along
with the basics of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and biology. He had a strong interest in politics and public
administration and was active in the student senate of his school. By his graduation, Gabriele lost interest in
what he called "abstract disciplines and pointless mental exercises".
The following year, Gabriele enrolled in the undergraduate program in Agricultural Sciences at the
University of Perugia and became very interested in learning about agriculture, in theory at school and in
practice by helping friends and neighbors on their farms. Eventually, he became familiar with the issues
involved in managing small farms and making them productive by integrating new crops and techniques with
traditional production. Two years into his B.S. degree, Gabriele decided to move back to his home town to be
closer to his family and he transferred to the University of Milano. After one semester at his new school, he
was assigned by his Professor of Arboriculture a research thesis on the propagation in vitro of European and
Chinese chestnuts, a project that involved intense laboratory work over the next three years.
While working towards his B.S. degree, Gabriele began his professional career as a consultant and as
an entrepreneur, which he expanded and continued after graduation. Gabriele's activity was quite varied but
intensely focused towards creating new job opportunities for his peers and himself. He joined a group of
consultants sponsored by Bayer that worked in extension management of ornamentals for homeowners in the
metropolitan areas. He was certified as a public Agronomist and developed technical and financial plans for the
improvement of small farms in Italy. He also directed start-up operations for environmental restoration through
proper production and use of composts, an activity that culminated in the acquisition by Gabriele and his father
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