Voting Station

Laura Bassi

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Scientist

The Resume

    (October 29, 1711-February 20, 1778)
    Born in Bologna, Italy
    Physicist and academic
    Sponsored by Prospero Lambertini, Archbishop of Bologna (later Pope Benedict XIV)
    Awarded a doctorate from the University of Bologna (May 12, 1732)
    Appointed Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Bologna (1732)
    Chair of the Department of Experimental Physics at the University of Bologna (1776-78)
    Popularized Newtonian mechanics in Italy

Why she might be annoying:

    The University of Bologna initially forbade her from teaching male students.
    She also was not allowed to use the University's labs and had to conduct experiments at home. (Although Pope Benedict intervened to convince the University to at least provide her with a stipend to cover the costs of the experiments.)
    She submitted 28 papers to the University of Bologna, but only four were published in her lifetime.

Why she might not be annoying:

    She was the first woman to earn a doctorate in the sciences. (And the second woman to earn a doctorate in any field.)
    She was the first woman to be a salaried teacher at a university.
    She was elected to the Academy of Sciences of the Institute of Bologna, making her the first female member of a scientific society.
    A crater on Venus was named after her.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying