History of Laura Bassi in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: December 10, 2024

Laura Bassi, an Italian physicist, etched her name in history as a pioneering woman in academia and science. Born Laura Maria Caterina Bassi Veratti, she achieved numerous firsts: the first woman with a doctorate in science, the second woman globally to earn a PhD, the first salaried female university teacher, and the first female member of a scientific establishment (the Academy of Sciences of the Institute of Bologna). Holding two additional professorships at the University of Bologna, she became its highest-paid employee. Often depicted as "Minerva," Bassi symbolizes the rise of women in academic and scientific fields during her time.

2018: Laura Bassi Scholarship

In 2018, The Editing Press established the Laura Bassi Scholarship, awarded three times a year to junior academics, master's, and doctoral candidates.

May 2019: RRS Ernest Shackleton renamed Laura Bassi

In May 2019, the Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale acquired the RRS Ernest Shackleton and renamed it Laura Bassi.

April 2021: Google Doodle celebrates Laura Bassi

On April 17, 2021, Google featured a Doodle celebrating Laura Bassi's life and achievements.

2024: Laura Bassi hosts New Zealand researchers

In 2024, the research ship Laura Bassi hosted 12 New Zealand researchers for the first time as part of a prestigious international collaboration with the National Antarctic Research Program.