Laura Bassi Series

The last two decades have seen an increase in diversity among scientists, both in academia and industry, thanks also to raising awareness of the problem of under-representation of women and minorities. Progress is however slow, and women and minorities are strongly underrepresented at a global level for what concerns advanced stages of career.

The ongoing pandemic has unfortunately hindered the progress in this direction.  The disruptions to daily life and increased caretaking responsibilities of  the last year, have been disproportionately affecting women, who already face considerable challenges when pursuing a career in STEM. There is  a real risk that many, too many, young scientists could be pushed out of science. 

This is a loss of talent and skills that science, and  astronomy, cannot afford. Specific initiatives are necessary to support the generation of young women scientists who are facing the effects of the pandemic on their career, in addition to the series of challenges minorities deal with in STEM.

The “Laura Bassi” colloquium series is born in this  context. Laura Bassi, “woman of extraordinary intelligence”, became the first female University professor in the western world, teaching physics at University of Bologna in the XVIII century, a time when women could not pursue higher education nor learned professions, and universities and academies were reserved to men.

The series aims at honoring Bassi's legacy by showcasing the research work of young women astronomers.