Personale docente

1987 Master degree in Civil Engineering (Politechnic of Milan) with a thesis in geotechnics (Thesis supervisor: Prof. R. Nova) entitled: “Analisi sperimentale e teorica del comportamento di una fondazione modello su sabbia soggetta a carichi inclinati”;

1988 grant by ISMES for theoretical and experimental analyses about mechanical behavior of reconstituted clayey soil and embankments in reinforced earth (geotechnical centrifuge);

1989 grant by ISMES for theoretical and experimental analyses about migration of gas in clayey soil and developing of a system for the saturation of soil through viscous fluids;

1991 Bishop Medal by the London Institution of Civil Engineers for the best geotechnical paper of the year entitled: “Settlements of Shallow Foundations on Sand” (Authors: L. Montrasio and R. Nova);

1992 post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Parma aimed to analyze advanced construction systems of embankments of the Po River;

1994 PhD in Geotechnical Engineering with a thesis entitled: “Un metodo per il calcolo dei cedimenti di fondazioni su sabbia soggette a carichi eccentrici e inclinati” (Thesis supervisor: Prof. R. Nova- Politechnic of Milan);

1997 Assistant Professor in Geotechnics (S.S.D. ICAR/07) at University of Parma;

2001 Enabling to Associate Professor;

2005 Associate Professor in Geotechnics (S.S.D. ICAR/07) at University of Parma.

Chiefly responsible of contracts and agreements with public and private institutions: among others, the Department of National Civil Protection and the Emilia Romagna Region, CIMA Foundation (International Centre for Environmental Monitoring – Savona), ENP of Grenoble, SoRiGe s.r.l., the Mantua Province: these institutions contributed to financial support of research activities and doctoral scholarships in geotechnical field.
Author and co-author of approximately seventy papers published on national and international journals and conference proceedings. The academic activity includes the participation, as chiefly responsible, to the development of cultural initiatives for the University of Parma.
She is patent holder of two soil displacements measurement devices, based on wireless data transmission and used during excavation in tunnels.
She took part in the organizing committee and/or participated to national and international conferences.
She founded the Doctoral School in Geotechnical Engineering at University of Parma (Associated Universities: Bologna, Ferrara, Brescia and Venice) since the Academic Year 2002/2003.

Research Activities
Mechanical behavior of soils. The research activity in the field of soil mechanics deals with the geotechnical characterization of complex soils and the study of slope instability phenomena due to the viscous nature of soils; in cooperation with the University of Grenoble and the University of Naples, an experimental and numerical study on the mechanical behavior of complex soils has been carried out.
Theoretical and experimental analysis of settlements of shallow foundations. In this circle she has set, at the geotechnical laboratory of the Department of Civil Engineering at University of Parma, an experimental (1g) model for the study of the behavior of foundations and retaining walls and a system for the sand pluvial deposition. The interpretation of the data, picked up by other authors on settlements of foundations in real dimensions, has allowed to propose a method of calculation of settlements based on the use of experimental evidences. The most recent analyses and the preceding researches have been picked in a monograph. Within the research devoted, in specific way, to the study of the behavior of the foundations of monumental buildings, the stability conditions, beside the geotechnical and structural problems, are been analyzed for some important buildings such as: the Cathedral of Parma, the Ghirlandina Civic Tower in Modena and the Sanvitale Castle of Fontanellato – Parma.
Rainfall-induced shallow landslides (soil-slips). The research activity was born from the cooperation with the Piedmont Region and with Prof. Claudio Scavia of the Polytechnic in Turin, within an Interreg project, financed by the European Community, for the study of the instability movements of the shallow soil of mountainous slopes (1998). During the first phase of the activity of the research it has been set:
- a physically-based simplified model describing the triggering mechanism of soil slips;
- a system for the measure of the degree of saturation;
- a system for the measure of the soil permeability coefficient;
- an experimental model to analyze the behavior of stratified slopes with the objective to clarify some tied up aspects to the mechanical modeling.
In the framework of the research regarding the rainfall-induced shallow landslides, a series of cooperating activities have been embarked on. Among others, the main research partners are: the Italian Department of National Civil Protection, the ARPA-SIM Agency of Emilia Romagna Region, CIMA Foundation (International Centre for Environmental Monitoring – Savona), ACROTEC s.r.l. (Savona), GEASIT s.r.l. (Savona), Geological University Centre of Bobbio (Piacenza) and the Faculty of Civil Engineering of Iasi - Romania (Prof. Botu).
The main research activities in this field deals with:
- The development of a simplified mathematical model (SLIP – Shallow Landslides Instability Prediction) to describe the triggering mechanism of soil slips in relation to rainfall depths and geotechnical data on a wide area.
- The implementation of the SLIP model in a real-time monitoring system, which is operative at the Department of National Civil Protection (on national scale) and at the Geological Survey of Emilia Romagna Region (on regional scale).
- The validation of the SLIP model implemented, on the basis of the data concerning really happened soil slips in the Emilian Apennine, in cooperation with Emilia-Romagna Region.
- Experimental analysis of the variation of the degree of saturation of a partially saturated soil through laboratory tests on a small-scale model.
In the circle of the agreement drawn up with the National Civil Protection it is anticipated the employment of the SLIP model as an alert system in the framework of the real-time monitoring of areas subject to slope instability, in relationship with the attended rainfalls events.

Embankments. Design and reinforcing works for the Po River embankments, in partnership with AIPO.

Innovative technologies for Geotechnical purposes. In consequence of a cooperation activity between Sorige s.r.l. and the University of Parma, it has been set up a prototype of a measurement device able to evaluate soil displacements during tunnel excavation, based on a wireless data transmission system.

Prof. Montrasio have woven different partnerships with public and private non academic institutions for the formation of PhD students and for the development of research activities. In particular, she was:
- Main promoter for the establishment of the PhD Course in Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Parma, with associated Universities of Bologna, Brescia, Ferrara and IUAV (Venezia). This PhD Course can boast the cooperation of other Italian and foreign Universities such as Roma (La Sapienza), Napoli (Federico II), Politechnic of Milan, Politechnic of Turin, INPG in Grenoble, MIT in Boston, City University in London, Technical University of Lousanne; Italian and foreign research institutions such as CIMA, Enel.hydro, Ismes.Geo; public and private agencies involved in geotechnical activities (AIPO, Province of Mantua, Consorzio Venezia Nuova, Insula, Autocisa and others).
- Chiefly responsible of the Research Group in Geotechnical Engineering of the University of Parma within the National Research Project funded by Italian Ministry MIUR (COFIN 2001) entitled: “Living together with landslides: effects on structures and urban settlements. Strategies for risk reduction.”
- Main promoter for the cooperation between the University of Parma and the Province of Mantua for the activities regarding the monitoring of settlements of shallow foundations of a public building.
- Head of organizing committee of a cycle of conferences dealing with rainfall-induced shallow landslides at CIMA Foundation (International Centre for Environmental Monitoring – Savona).
- Chiefly responsible of the Research Group in Geotechnical Engineering of the University of Parma within a Spinner Project of E.C. Social Funding and Emilia Romagna Region to study the possibility of implementing the simplified stability model for rainfall-induced landslides in a platform for a real-time territory control, which is able to take into account both observed and foreseen rainfall data, allowing in this way the evaluation of regional shallow landslides susceptibility.
- Tutor and co-tutor for the PhD Thesis of the following PhD students: Valentino R. (Tutor: Prof. G. Barla of Politechnic of Turin), Leoni M. (University of Parma), Dell’Amico M. (University of Parma. Co-tutors: G. Viggiani and J. Lanier of the University of Grenoble), Losi G.L. (University of Parma)

Teaching activities
At present she is responsible of the following teaching activities at University of Parma:
1. Foundation Engineering (5 ECTS), Faculty of Engineering, Master Degree in Civil Engineering;
2. Geotechnics applied to the Territory Defence (5 ECTS), Faculty of Engineering;
3. Geotechnics AB (9 ECTS), Faculty of Engineering;
4. Laboratory of Constructions II – Geotechnics (4 ECTS), Faculty of Architecture, Degree in Science of Architecture.

Other academic activities
Prof. Montrasio organized a workshop entitled “Il ruolo del monitoraggio nella ricerca idraulica e geotecnica” (“The role of monitoring in the field of Hydraulic and Geotechnical research”) at the University of Pavia and held a great number of lectures and seminars on the topic of rainfall-induced shallow landslides at the Department of National Civil Protection (Roma), CIMA Foundation (Savona), Faculty of Geology at the University of Parma, Emilia Romagna Region (Bologna).
She coordinated the institution of a spin-off (GW-Tech s.r.l), involving in the activity the Departments of Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering of the University of Parma, after the cooperation with the company Sorige s.r.l..
On the basis of her previous knowledge about some specific aspects of the law regarding the mechanical components, she started a non academic activity devoted to allow the University of Parma, together with other Universities, to become an agency able to certificate the homologation of vehicle components, after the approval of a special law aimed to align Italian standards to those of other European Countries. For this reason she personally attended to the draft of the law, which was presented at the Italian Parliament on the 6th of May 2008. The same law has been the main object of some conferences organized by Prof. Montrasio at the Italian Parliament and the University of Parma. In this framework, Prof. Montrasio was able to keep contacts with Public Ministries of Transports and of Economic Development, with Associations (Anfia, Ascar, Alpi, Confartigianato) and with the main companies in the field of vehicle components (Magneti Marelli, Brembo, Oz Italia, Fiat and others), assuming the role of coordinator of the project aimed to the approval of the law. She has been officially delegated by the Chancellor of the University of Parma (DR n. 338 of 10.04.2008) to represent the same University for all the activities concerning this project.
Recently, Prof. Montrasio has taken the role of main coordinator of a project for the establishment of a Centre for the Road Safety (DISS), which gathers the contribution of five Departments of the University of Parma (Dept. Of Civil, Environment, Territory Engineering and Architecture; Dept. of Information Engineering; Dept. of Industry Engineering; Dept. of Psychology; Dept. of Medical Clinic, Nephrology and Prevention Sciences), the Department of Civil and Environment Engineering of the University of Catania, and others centers and organizations (CNOS – National Centre of Salesian Institution, CRF – Fiat Centre of Research, FGA – Fiat Auto Group, ELASYS – Fiat Group Centre of Study, ACCREDIA – Institution for the National Unique Credit Advice, ACI – Italian Automobile Club). The coordination activity mainly consisted in the drafting of the statute and of the regulations of the Centre, beside promoting the principal goals of the Centre, which can be briefly summarized as the following:
- the reduction of the number of road accidents and life losses;
- allow Universities and all the involved institutions to give a real contribution to solve the problem of the safety on the roads, both in terms of applied research and of scientific support to government decisions in this field;
- the institution of a high level centre devoted to develop a well-coordinated, systematic and joint programme regarding the improvement of applied research and design aspects of the road safety.
The foundation of the DISS has met with the favour of important institutions such as the Italian Ministry of Transport, the Italian Ministry of Scientific Research and Technology, the Italian Ministry of Health, the Italian Ministry of Youth Policy, the IX Commission for Transport of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, the European Commission for Transport.