Tatiana Wedenison
Tatiana Wedenison | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1864 Milan, Italy |
| Alma mater | Università di Pavia |
| Known for | First woman to study at Polytechnic University of Milan (1888) |
Tatiana Wedenison (born 1864) was the first woman in Italy to attempt earning an engineering degree, the first to enrol at the Polytechnic University of Milan (Italian: Politecnico di Milano), and one of the first modern Italian women to earn a university degree.[1][2][3]
Life and career
[edit]Wedenison was born in Milan in 1864. Her father was a shopkeeper.[1]
She enrolled at the Politecnico di Milano in 1888,[4][5][6] and later transferred to the Università di Pavia, from which she graduated with a degree in natural sciences (Italian: Laurea in Scienze Fisiche, Matematiche e Naturali) in 1893 or 1894.[7][1][2]
Her accomplishment is significant in that by 1900, there were still only 250 female university students in the whole of Italy.[8] She was followed by Emma Strada, who in 1908 became the first woman to obtain a civil engineering degree from the Polytechnic University of Turin, and Gaetanina Calvi, who in 1913 became the first female engineering graduate of the Polytechnic University of Milan.[1]
Legacy and Impact
[edit]Tatiana Wedenison’s pioneering efforts as the first woman to enroll in engineering studies at the Polytechnic University of Milan marked a critical step in breaking gender barriers in Italian higher education during the late 19th century. At a time when female university students were exceedingly rare—numbering only about 250 in all of Italy by 1900—Wedenison's academic pursuits challenged prevailing social norms and opened the door for future generations of women in science and engineering fields.
Her journey paved the way for notable successors such as Emma Strada, who became Italy’s first female civil engineer in 1908, and Gaetanina Calvi, the first female engineering graduate from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1913. Wedenison’s legacy is recognized as foundational in Italy’s gradual progression toward gender equality in STEM education.[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "The Politecnico's first female engineers". Politecnico di Milano, Alumni. 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
- ^ a b "Wedenison Tatiana, Scienza a due voci". scienzaa2voci.unibo.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-08-28.
- ^ "Le origini". Politecnico di Milano (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-08-29.
- ^ "carreer day Archivi". Out of the Boot (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-06-10.
- ^ "Le aziende al Politecnico per cercare ingegnere". Out of the Boot (in Italian). 2014-05-18. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
- ^ Melis, Mauro (2022-05-04). "Architettura Polimi: tutti i perché di un successo italiano". Unione Geometri (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-06-10.
- ^ Govoni, Paola. Storia, scienza e società. Ricerche sulla scienza in Italia nell’età moderna e contemporanea, a cura di Paola Govoni, Bologna Studies in History of Science, 11, CIS, Università di Bologna, 2006.
- ^ Gilbert, Mark; Nilsson, Robert K. (2007-09-19). Historical Dictionary of Modern Italy. Scarecrow Press. p. 450. ISBN 978-0-8108-6428-3.
- ^ https://alumni.polimi.it/en/2022/06/23/le-prime-donne-ingegnere-del-politecnico/