Miami, Oct. 22, 2020 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Medical Campus will unveil a sculpture created by Dr. Nicolas Massimini, who has taught mathematics, physics, opticianry, and medicine and now serves as chair of the Student Progress Committee at the Medical Campus. The unveiling and dedication ceremony will take place at 10 a.m., Monday, Nov. 2. MDC’s Interim President Dr. Rolando Montoya and Medical Campus President Dr. Bryan Stewart will deliver remarks. The event is open to working media.
The idea for Dr. Massimini’s sculpture was born ten years ago, when he was pondering how to elevate the Pythagorean Theorem (two dimensional) to a three-dimensional composition. The Pythagorean Theorem is a subset of his sculpture, titled The Massimini Structure. Made of steel welded together, he then assigned colors to different parts of the structure – in the base the colors of his home country Italy and in the superior part he added colors that represent the U.S., a symbol of personal growth.
“I hope that with this structure I can plant a seed in every student’s heart and empower them to look deep inside and grow in every aspect of their lives,” Dr. Massimini said. “Everyone can make a difference in their life and the lives of others.”
Dr. Massimini is a trained medical doctor with a 56-year career in education. He has taught in various areas, including opticianry, mathematics, physics and medicine. After graduating from MDC’s Physician Assistant (PA) program, where he was a tutor for a year, he joined the PA program as a faculty member in January 2008 and has held various positions, including clinical coordinator, director of the PA program and, most recently, chair of the Student Progress Committee.
In addition, Dr. Massimini coaches PA students to compete in the Medical Challenge Bowl at the state and national levels. MDC’s PA students have excelled at the annual competitions, beating out students from some of the country’s top universities. They have brought home two national First Place titles and six First Places in the state competition.
In his free time, Dr. Massimini collects antique cars and books, of which he has more than 1,200 in his library. When it rains, he likes to paint.