We have received the following obituary signed by colleagues in Napoli. Elena Sassi was a dear friend and a remarkable colleague. The ESERA Executive Board would like to express its gratitude for her valuable contributions over the years. Her enthusiasm, good spirits, active involvement and constant smile have been a source of inspiration to many of us and will be cherished for many years to come.

On Tuesday 24th September 2013, Professor Elena Sassi passed away. Elena worked at the Science Faculty of the University of Naples Federico II in Italy until Nov 1st 2009, when she retired. She continued to be passionately involved in physics education research, at both national and international level, until her serious health problems became a hindrance. She was an early member of ESERA since its inception, and lately a valuable member of the European Physical Society Physics Education Division. She actively promoted the collaboration among researchers in physics education in Italy and across Europe through EU-funded projects and thematic networks. She was a pioneer researcher in the use of real-time experiments to improve students’ conceptual understanding of physics. She also devoted her efforts and interests towards the design of research-based teaching-learning sequences for both students and prospective teachers. She will sadly be missed in Europe and worldwide. The Italian community of research in science education mourns the loss of one of its pillars. 

Luigi Smaldone, Italo Testa and all colleagues at the Department of Physics of the University of Naples Federico II.