Women, Science, and a Life of Purpose
- Donatella Massai
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 6 hours ago
February 11 is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. It felt like the right moment to reflect on why science has mattered so much in my life, and why certain women in science continue to inspire me well beyond their discoveries.
I like science because it is grounded in measurement, precision, and exactness. That rigor makes it reliable and allows knowledge to be tested and translated into action in ways that can meaningfully change people’s lives. This is what first drew me to global health, and what later led me to focus on aging and longevity, informed by demographic data and scientific evidence, at a time when more people are living longer lives and the question of how to age well has become central.
Alongside women whose names are now part of public history, I have been deeply shaped by many women I encountered in my professional and academic life. Scientists, clinicians, mentors, colleagues. Often invisible, rarely celebrated, but real teachers. One of them once told me that a PhD is not a run, it is a marathon. I carry that sentence with me every day, especially when results are slow, because science, learning, and impact all take time, patience, and dedication.
When I think of Gladys West, who died at 95 and grew up during the Jim Crow era, I think of resilience shaped by constraint. A Black mathematician who developed precise models of the Earth’s shape, she spent decades doing the foundational work that made GPS possible, working quietly and without recognition for most of her life. Her contribution shows how sustained mental rigor, guided by purpose, can shape the world in lasting ways.
Margherita Hack, known as the “Lady of the Stars,” who died at 91, was an Italian astrophysicist, civil rights activist, and the first woman to direct an astronomical observatory in Italy. I met her in Florence when we both received the Fiorino d’Oro, the city’s highest civic honor, but I had admired her long before that. What always struck me was her clarity, irony, and intellectual freedom. She remained mentally sharp, outspoken, and socially engaged until the end, bringing science into public life without ever compromising its rigor.
Rita Levi-Montalcini lived to 103. She graduated in medicine in 1936, an extraordinary achievement for a woman at the time, before being excluded from academic life by the 1938 racial laws. As a Jewish scientist in Fascist Italy, she continued her research despite persecution and exile and later went on to win the Nobel Prize. Appointed Senator for Life in Italy in 2001, she used that role to advocate for science, education, and women’s rights until her death. To me, her life shows how scientific excellence, purpose, and sustained intellectual engagement can remain active through adversity and contribute to a long, engaged life.
Jane Goodall, who died at 91, said she hoped to be remembered as someone who came into the world to bring hope in dark times. Her boundless curiosity and deep compassion for the living world inspired me personally, shaping my passion for the environment and for animals. Working in a male-dominated field, she showed that scientific rigor could coexist with care, responsibility, and moral clarity. As she aged, she often said that growing older meant working even harder, because time becomes more precious. She lived that belief fully, spending her final decades turning hope into action through environmental protection, education, and engagement with younger generations.
