Laura Bassi - Physicist

Laura Bassi (1711-78) was an 18th Century Italian physicist who, in 1732, became the first ever female university lecturer. During her long career at the University of Bologna, she championed the work of Isaac Newton and was instrumental in introducing his theories to the whole of Italy. At her doctorate ceremony a silver coin was created in her honor, acknowledging the significance of the event and linking her to Minerva, Goddess of Learning. She fought hard for equal pay and opportunities for women scientists, and ran private lessons when male colleagues prevented her from teaching at the University. A mother of 8 children, in 1776 she was elected to the Chair of Experimental Physics by the Bologna Institute of Sciences. On marrying physician Giuseppe Veratti, Bassi explained: “I have chosen a person who walks the same path of learning, and who from long experience, I was certain would not dissuade me from it.” Wáng Zhēnyí (1768-97) was an 18th Century Chinese mathematician, astronomer and poet who became one of China’s greatest scholars despite having to teach herself, as women were forbidden an education during that time. In her short life - she died before reaching 30 - she was able to calculate and explain the movement of equinoxes and lunar eclipses and she wrote math books in accessible language so that they could be understood by more people. She was also an acclaimed poet and she excelled in archery, martial arts and equestrian skills. Remarkably, her obvious brilliance allowed her the right to tutor male students, something which was otherwise unheard of in 18th Century China. In 2004, the International Astronomical Union named one of Venus’s craters after her. “It’s made to believe women are the same as men; Are you not convinced daughters can also be heroic?”